Books like 'A King's Ransom'
Readers who enjoyed A King's Ransom by Jude Watson also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary fantasy action / adventure mystery children historical-fiction realistic suspense family kidnapping
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The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart, Del Roy
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsIF YOU FAIL,ALL IS LOST.Join the Mysterious Benedict Society as Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance embark on a daring new adventure that threatens to force them apart from their families, friends, and even each other...Categorized as:
children espionage family high-school law-enforcement political-intrigue realistic suspense -
Spy School Project X by Stuart Gibbs
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn the tenth book in the New York Times bestselling Spy School series, Ben Ripley races against time and across state lines—by car, train, boat, and plane—to avoid his new cyber enemies and track down Murray Hill.Ben Ripley’s longtime nemesis, Murray Hill, has put a price on Ben’s head and accused him of being at the center of a conspiracy on the internet...Categorized as:
espionage children realistic suspense survival law-enforcement political-intrigue middle-grade -
City of the Dead by James Ponti
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn this fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling series from Edgar Award winner James Ponti, the young group of spies go codebreaking in Cairo in another international adventure perfect for fans of Spy School and Mrs. Smith’s Spy School for Girls.Codename Kathmandu, better known as Kat, loves logic and order, has a favorite eight-digit number, and can spot a pattern from a mile away...Categorized as:
espionage realistic children family crime suspense law-enforcement political-intrigue -
Forbidden City by James Ponti
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn this third “thrilling” (Kirkus Reviews) installment in the New York Times bestselling series from Edgar Award winner James Ponti, the young group of spies help a fellow agent in another international adventure perfect for fans of Spy School and Mrs. Smith’s Spy School for Girls...Categorized as:
espionage realistic children suspense family law-enforcement crime political-intrigue -
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Hyper Lynx by Fiona Quinn
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIf she fails, her whole team could be destroyed.Lexi “Lynx” Sabado is more than ready for her marriage with ex-SEAL Striker Rheas. But getting her happily ever after is fraught with hurdles when her psychic abilities start going haywire, giving her vague warnings of impending danger.As it turns out, identifying threats can be overwhelming when everything and everyone is the potential source...Categorized as:
suspense law-enforcement espionage crime political-intrigue military paranormal fantasy -
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsChildrenYou must not comeSTOPDangerousThe Mysterious Benedict Society is back with a new mission: to go on a mind-bending international scavenger hunt designed to engage their individual talents. As they search for all the clues and riddles Mr...Categorized as:
children espionage family high-school law-enforcement political-intrigue realistic suspense -
The Candymakers by Wendy Mass
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsFour children have been chosen to compete in a national competition to find the tastiest confection in the country...Categorized as:
children espionage family law-enforcement political-intrigue realistic action-adventure audiobook -
Chain Lynx by Fiona Quinn
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFound in the debris of the plane wreck barely alive, Lexi Sobado is finally home. But home does not mean safe. Someone powerful, connected, and willing to kill is after her. Lexi Sobado, the young Iniquus puzzling prodigy, puts her expertise to the test as she faces a dark enemy, threatening not only her and Iniquus, but American defense and safety...Categorized as:
crime espionage law-enforcement political-intrigue suspense action-adventure adult audiobook -
Cuff Lynx by Fiona Quinn
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMore of this is true than you would believe.In her most thrilling novel yet, USA Today bestselling author Fiona Quinn exposes the dark forces threatening America. The Hydra, a monstrous group that includes a secret society that will do anything for power, is ready to strike, and only Lexi stands a chance to stop them.It’s a mind-bending plot of control and destruction...Categorized as:
crime espionage law-enforcement political-intrigue suspense action-adventure adult audiobook -
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 46 ratings"Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?" When this peculiar ad appears in the newspaper, dozens of children enroll to take a series of mysterious, mind-bending tests. (And you, dear reader, can test your wits right alongside them.) But in the end just four very special children will succeed...Categorized as:
children espionage family high-school law-enforcement political-intrigue realistic suspense -
Her Name Is Knight by Yasmin Angoe
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsHer Name Is Knight revolves around Nena Knight, codename Echo, a highly trained assassin for The Tribe – a clandestine international organization dedicated to the protection and advancement of the peoples and countries of Africa around the world... -
This Book Is Not Good for You by Pseudonymous Bosch
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsBetween the pages of this book lies the secret to the best-tasting chocolate in all the world. I promise, your taste buds will tingle. Your palette will sing! Oh no, have I accidentally tempted you to read this book? I will warn you, however, the most delicious things are never good for you..Categorized as:
children family law-enforcement realistic suspense action-adventure animals audiobook -
London Bridge is Falling Down by Christopher Fowler
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIt was the kind of story that barely made the news.When 91-year-old Amelia Hoffman died in her top-floor flat on a busy London road, it's considered an example of what has gone wrong with modern society: she slipped through the cracks in a failing system.But detectives Arthur Bryant and John May of the Peculiar Crimes Unit have their doubts...Categorized as:
crime espionage law-enforcement political-intrigue suspense action-adventure adult audiobook -
Thea Stilton and the Missing Myth by Thea Stilton
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsJoin Thea Stilton and the Thea Sisters on an adventure packed with mystery and friendship! While on vacation in Greece, the Thea Sisters make friends with a company of actors. They are rehearsing for a show that's about to open--and Colette ends up standing in for an actress who falls ill! Suddenly, right before the performance, the lead actor goes missing...Categorized as:
children law-enforcement action-adventure book children-books contemporary fiction middle-grade -
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Trust No One by Linda Sue Park
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWhen seven members of their family were kidnapped, thirteen-year-old Dan Cahill and his older sister, Amy, got ready for the fight of their lives. But their enemy, a terrifying group known as the Vespers, remained frustratingly elusive. They stay in the shadows, picking off Cahills one by one...Categorized as:
children espionage family historical-fiction law-enforcement political-intrigue realistic survival -
This Isn't What It Looks Like by Pseudonymous Bosch, Robert Petkoff
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsThe Secret Series continues in this dangerous and daring fourth adventure. Cass finds herself alone and disoriented, a stranger in a dream-like, medieval world. Where is she? Who is she? With the help of a long-lost relative, she begins to uncover clues and secrets--piecing together her family's history as she fights her way back to the present world... -
Deep and Dark and Dangerous (A Ghost Story) by Mary Downing Hahn
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsJust before summer begins, 13-year-old Ali finds an odd photograph in the attic. She knows the two children in it are her mother, Claire, and her aunt Dulcie... -
Shatterproof by Roland Smith
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsAfter pulling some spectacular heists, Amy and Dan have become two of Interpol's most wanted criminals. So when Vesper One orders them to steal the world's largest diamond, they know they're facing life in prison...or worse. But with the Cahill hostages still in peril, Amy and Dan have no choice but to launch a mission that leads them to an ancient city full of dangerous secrets...Categorized as:
children crime espionage family historical-fiction law-enforcement political-intrigue realistic -
The Candymakers and the Great Chocolate Chase by Wendy Mass, Mark Turetsky
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe highly-anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel The Candymakers by beloved author Wendy MassIt has been a few months since the nationwide New Candy Contest, and Logan, Miles, Philip, and Daisy have returned to their regular lives. But when the winning candy bar comes down the conveyor belt at the Life is Sweet candy factory, Logan realizes something's very wrong...Categorized as:
children espionage family political-intrigue realistic action-adventure audiobook book -
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsA New York Times BestsellerKyle Keeley is the class clown, popular with most kids, (if not the teachers), and an ardent fan of all games: board games, word games, and particularly video games. His hero, Luigi Lemoncello, the most notorious and creative gamemaker in the world, just so happens to be the genius behind the building of the new town library... -
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Riddle of Ages by Trenton Lee Stewart, Eric Pollins
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsThe brilliant and beloved gang from the New York Times bestselling series is back! Since The Mysterious Benedict Society debuted twelve years ago, the series has become a modern classic, drawing comparisons to J.K. Rowling and Roald Dahl and selling over three million copies. Some time has passed since the inimitable quartet of Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance have had a mission together...Categorized as:
children crime law-enforcement realistic action-adventure audiobook book children-books -
Itsy Bitsy Spider by Dale Mayer
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsQueenie Landry's job as a fortune teller at an amusement park pays the bills but it's a far cry from the respectable psychic advisor role she once filled at the police station where the love of her life, Kirk Wallace, was a detective. A case went bad when she steered the team in the wrong direction and a woman died... -
After All the Wreckage by L.J. Evans
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhat if the future is already written? GageWhen Rory Marlowe Bishop walks out of my past and into my bar, I realize she’s not just a kid anymore. Now she’s hell on wheels and a special kind of temptation. But I can’t afford the distraction, not with the responsibility I’ve inherited... -
Charlie Thorne and the Curse of Cleopatra by Stuart Gibbs
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn this third book in the Charlie Thorne series from bestselling author Stuart Gibbs, Charlie tracks down Cleopatra’s greatest treasure in Egypt.Charlie Thorne is a genius. Charlie Thorne is a renegade. Charlie Thorne isn’t going down without a fight.After tracking down incredible discoveries by Einstein and Darwin, Charlie is back... -
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Thunder Game by Christine Feehan
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsDiego Campos has come home to die. The GhostWalker is tired of walking a dark path shaped by countless losses. There has never been a moment of good in his life that wasn’t followed by something bad. But as he makes his way to his family’s homestead in the Appalachian Mountains, his plans are interrupted by a violent ambush that sets his life on a new course... -
The Dead of Night by Peter Lerangis
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA LIFE ON THE LINEWhen seven members of his family were kidnapped by the Vespers, thirteen-year-old Dan Cahill knew he was in for the fight of his life. He knew he was up against an impossibly powerful enemy. And Dan knew the odds were that some of his family members wouldn't make it.But even as Dan steels himself to accept these facts, the unthinkable happens...Categorized as:
children crime espionage family historical-fiction law-enforcement political-intrigue realistic -
Smells Like Treasure by Suzanne Selfors
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen Homer Pudding receives a mysterious note emblazoned with the letters L.O.S.T., he knows the moment he has been waiting for has arrived. It is time to meet the society of Legends, Objects, Secrets, and Treasures, take his Uncle's place, and become a true adventurer. With his best friend, Dog, at his side, everything seems to be going as planned..Categorized as:
children law-enforcement realistic action-adventure animals book children-books contemporary -
Deadly Obsession by Maggie Shayne
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA cold-blooded killer with a burning obsession… Rachel de Luca has a bad feeling about the new woman in Detective Mason Brown's life, the nurse taking care of him after he's injured in the line of duty. She'd like to think it's just jealousy, but intuition tells her it's something more, maybe something dangerous... -
Ghost in the Machine by Patrick Carman
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe chilling second book in the innovative series from bestselling author Patrick Carman. Strange things are happening in Skeleton Creek...and Ryan and Sarah are trying to find out why. Ryan writes down everything in his journal, and Sarah records everything on her videocam...Categorized as:
children high-school law-enforcement realistic suspense action-adventure book children-books -
The Mysterious Benedict Society: Mr. Benedict's Book of Perplexing Puzzles, Elusive Enigmas, and Curious Conundrums by Trenton Lee Stewart, Diana Sudyka
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThis exclusive companion book to the bestselling Mysterious Benedict Society series is a mind-bending collection that will put YOU to the test! With full-color artwork throughout, this companion features ingenious new puzzles, riddles, and brainteasers compiled by Mr. Benedict himself, with the help of Reynie, Kate, Sticky, Constance, and other Society associates...Categorized as:
children law-enforcement realistic action-adventure book children-books contemporary fiction -
The Midnight Children by Dan Gemeinhart
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAn extraordinary story about a family of runaways who take up residence in a small town, and the outcast boy who finds his voice and his people.In the dead of night, a truck arrives in Slaughterville, a small town curiously named after its windowless slaughterhouse... -
Nowhere to Run by Jude Watson
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsThe Cahill family has a secret. For five hundred years, they have guarded the 39 Clues – thirty-nine ingredients in a serum that transforms whomever takes it into the most powerful person on earth. If the serum got into the wrong hands, the disaster would rock the world. So certain Cahills have always made it their mission to keep the serum safe, buried, locked away. Until now...Categorized as:
children family historical-fiction law-enforcement realistic survival suspense action-adventure -
"Shouldn't You Be in School?" by Lemony Snicket
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIs Lemony Snicket a detective or a smoke detector? Do you smell smoke? Young apprentice Lemony Snicket is investigating a case of arson but soon finds himself enveloped in the ever-increasing mystery that haunts the town of Stain'd-by-the-Sea... -
Famous Last Words by Katie Alender
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsHollywood history, mystery, murder, mayhem, and delicious romance collide in this unputdownable thriller from master storyteller Katie Alender.Willa is freaking out. It seems like she's seeing things. Like a dead body in her swimming pool. Frantic messages on her walls. A reflection that is not her own. It's almost as if someone—or something—is trying to send her a message... -
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Legacy by C.J. Daugherty
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIn the last year, Allie's survived three arrests, two breakups and one family breakdown. The only bright point has been her new life at Cimmeria Academy. It's the one place she's felt she belongs. And the fact that it's brought dark-eyed Carter West into her life hasn't hurt either...Categorized as:
crime espionage high-school political-intrigue suspense action-adventure audiobook boarding-school -
Vanished: When Lightning Strikes / Code Name Cassandra by Meg Cabot
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsA gift…or a curse? Jessica Mastriani has never liked attention. All she wants is to make it to high school graduation like any ordinary girl. But when Jess is struck by lightning, she becomes anything but ordinary: suddenly she has the ability to locate missing children. Now Jess is getting noticed in all the wrong ways and by all the wrong people. The media is obsessed with her and her story...Categorized as:
crime high-school law-enforcement realistic action-adventure book comedy contemporary -
The Fix Is In by Mary Calmes
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHow can a man who doesn’t believe in things that go bump in the night possibly protect a man who does?It’s safe to say that Shaw James is a pragmatist who has no patience for anything but the facts. He is good at assessing threats and focusing on a clear objective when he goes out on a job for Torus Intercession... -
The Haunting of Riley Watson by Alexandria Clarke
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsTrapped in a haunted ski lodge by the season's worst snowstorm, Lucia deals with the consequences of a mysterious murder. When Lucia Star, a fake psychic and desperate for cash, takes a job at a ski lodge in the mountains of Vermont, she ends up in the middle of a real-life haunting... -
The Darkness Dwellers by Kirsten Miller
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDon’t miss Strike three!First they ventured deep under New York to save the city itself.Then things got personal as the Irregulars ventured into a haunted mansion in Chinatown to uncover an evil twin...Categorized as:
children crime espionage law-enforcement political-intrigue action-adventure book contemporary -
The Light Jar by Lisa Thompson
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA story of fear and hope, loneliness and friendship -- full of the heart, engaging characters, and propulsive, page-turning mystery that made The Goldfish Boy so beloved.Nate and his mother are running away. Fleeing from an emotionally abusive situation, they hide out in an abandoned cottage in the middle of a forest. Though it's old and run-down, at least it's a place of their own... -
Beetle Boy by M.G. Leonard
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe glorious start to a middle-grade trilogy about a brilliant boy, his loyal friends, and some amazingly intelligent beetles that brings together adventure, humor, and real science! Darkus Cuttle's dad mysteriously goes missing from his job as Director of Science at the Natural History Museum... -
Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor by Ally Carter
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratings“A fast-paced thrill ride of a book. . . it’s Batman meets Annie.” —Stuart Gibbs, New York Times best-selling author of the Spy School series “An adventure-filled read with a twisty mystery and spunky friendships. I loved it!” –Melissa de la Cruz, New York Times best-selling author of The Descendants series April didn't mean to start the fire. She wasn’t the one who broke the vase...Categorized as:
children crime espionage family law-enforcement political-intrigue realistic suspense -
Long Lost by Jacqueline West
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsEleven-year-old Fiona has just read a book that doesn’t exist. When Fiona’s family moves to be closer to her older sister’s figure skating club—and far from Fiona’s close-knit group of friends—nobody seems to notice Fiona’s unhappiness. Alone and out of place, Fiona ventures to the town’s library, a rambling mansion donated to the town by the long-dead heiress...Categorized as:
children family suspense historical-fiction realistic law-enforcement middle-grade fantasy -
The Night Is Alive by Heather Graham, Luke Daniels
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsMidnight in Savannah…It’s a city of beauty, history…hauntings. And one of the most haunted places in Savannah is a tavern called The Dragonslayer, built in the 1750s. The current owner, Gus Anderson, is a descendant of the original innkeeper and his pirate brother, Blue.Gus summons his granddaughter, Abigail, home from Virginia, where she’s studying at the FBI Academy...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction kidnapping law-enforcement suspense action-adventure adult audiobook -
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"Why Is This Night Different from All Other Nights?" by Lemony Snicket
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsTrain travel! Murder! Librarians! A Series Finale!On all other nights, the train departs from Stain'd Station and travels to the city without stopping. But not tonight. You might ask, why is this night different from all other nights? But that's the wrong question... -
The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing by Sheila Turnage, Lauren Fortgang
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe eagerly anticipated followup to the Newbery honor winner and New York Times bestseller, Three Times LuckySmall towns have rules. One is, you got to stay who you are -- no matter how many murders you solve.When Miss Lana makes an Accidental Bid at the Tupelo auction and winds up the mortified owner of an old inn, she doesn't realize there's a ghost in the fine print...Categorized as:
children crime family historical-fiction law-enforcement realistic suspense action-adventure -
When Did You See Her Last? by Lemony Snicket
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsI should have asked the question "How could someone who was missing be in two places at once?" Instead, I asked the wrong question -- four wrong questions, more or less. This is the account of the second.In the fading town of Stain'd-by-the-Sea, young apprentice Lemony Snicket has a new case to solve when he and his chaperone are hired to find a missing girl... -
Fracture by C.J. Daugherty
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsDevastated by the loss of her friend and under constant threat from an unknown spy at Cimmeria Academy, Allie Sheridan is finding it hard to cope.In Fracture, the third book in the Night School series, she’s not the only one losing it – everything is falling apart. And when Nathaniel begins to reveal his game plan, Isabelle starts to lose control...Categorized as:
crime espionage high-school political-intrigue suspense action-adventure audiobook boarding-school -
Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsImaginary friend Budo narrates this heartwarming story of love, loyalty, and the power of the imagination—the perfect read for anyone who has ever had a friend . . . real or otherwise.Budo is lucky as imaginary friends go. He's been alive for more than five years, which is positively ancient in the world of imaginary friends... -
The Medusa Plot by Gordon Korman
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsAre you ready to save the world? The bestselling series returns with an adventure spanning 6 explosive books, 2 secret-filled card packs, and a website that places readers right in the action.Thirteen-year-old Dan Cahill and his older sister, Amy, thought they belonged to the world's most powerful family. They thought the hunt for 39 Clues leading to the source of that power was over...Categorized as:
children crime espionage family high-school historical-fiction law-enforcement political-intrigue
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