Books like 'Brush Back'
Readers who enjoyed Brush Back by Sara Paretsky also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
mystery thriller crime law-enforcement suspense noir investigator female-mc corruption literary-fiction
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Night on Fire by L.T. Vargus, Tim McBain
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFire crawls up the sides of the church. The orange glow thrashes. Blackens the siding. Climbs up onto the steeple. The flames close in on the wedding party trapped inside. When a serial arsonist terrorizes Los Angeles County, FBI profiler Violet Darger heads to California to investigate. The fires keep coming faster. The body count rises, and the threat hangs over the city as thick as the smog... -
Deadly Motives by Ann Girdharry
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSecrets never stay buried forever...When a nurse is murdered, Detective David Grant recognises the hallmarks of a serial killer called Travis.Twenty-five years ago, Grant caught Travis for the murder of five women and the murderer has been incarcerated ever since... -
Cold-Blooded by Lisa Regan
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFourteen years ago, high school track star Sydney Adams was gunned down in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. The investigation yielded useless clues, and the case went cold. But homicide detective Augustus Knox never gave up on finding Sydney's killer... -
The Girl in the Manor by A.J. Rivers
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe sound of a blood curdling scream echoed through the manor. Her pleas ignored, her screams unheard... -
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So We Lie by Willow Rose
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsEva Rae Thomas is in over her head on her first assignment as an FBI profiler in multi-million-copy bestselling author Willow Rose’s nail-biting mystery.When the mother of two, Arlene Wood, crashes her car against a tree at four in the morning, the case seems pretty straightforward.But evidence found in the remains of the car soon raises the question of whether this was really an accident... -
Where the Wild Roses Grow by Willow Rose
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe Queen of scream novels does it again! - It's laced with a terrifying nail-biting tension and characters that make your skin crawl. With her blankly staring eyes seeming to gaze into the sky, he put a red rose between her teeth and then gently pushed her into the water. She slowly sank into the slow, flowing river...Categorized as:
crime female-mc hard-boiled law-enforcement literary-fiction noir suspense action-adventure -
Three Small Bones by Jennifer Chase
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSmoke curls from what’s left of the beautiful family home on the edge of the woods. The heat is unbearable as she descends the stairs to the basement, past a set of bicycles––two big, one small... -
The Girl Next Door by A.J. Rivers
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSherwood is a sleepy little town. A town full of friendly faces, and even friendlier neighbors.Which is why FBI agent Emma Griffin isn't surprised when her new neighbor starts stopping by to chat.Turns out her neighbor has a dark past and secrets that made her run... -
The Hunter of the Dark by Donato Carrisi
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA brutal killer is on the streets of Rome. He leaves no trace. And shows no mercy.A series of gruesome murders leaves the police force in Rome reeling, with no real clues or hard evidence to follow. Assigned to the case is Sandra Vega, a brilliant forensic analyst, struggling to come to terms with the crimes and her own past... -
The Girl and the Hunt by A.J. Rivers
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsCatch me.The words that taunted FBI Agent Emma Griffin on the blood-soaked train ride from Sherwood continue to follow her.Drawn to Feathered Nest, she discovers that the horror is far from over and whoever is behind the dare has no intention of his brutal game slowing down any time soon... -
Never Too Late by Sally Rigby
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA vicious attack. A dirty secret. And a chance for justiceEx-police officer Sebastian Clifford is quickly finding that life as a private investigator is never quiet. His doors have only been open a few weeks when DCI Whitney Walker approaches him to investigate the brutal attack that left her older brother, Rob, with irreversible brain damage... -
Over The Edge by Lisa Regan
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen retired Philadelphia detective turned private investigator Joselyn Rush is rear-ended, her knee-jerk response is anger, especially when the well-dressed woman driving tries to flee the scene. But as Jocelyn watches in disbelief, the woman jumps off the bridge, plunging to her death in the Schuylkill River one hundred fifty feet below... -
Cold Kill by Stephen Leather
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 17 ratings"While investigating a crew of people-traffickers…Dan Shepherd discovers a cross-Channel currency-smuggling operation. Posing as a low-level criminal, Shepherd infiltrates the gang, befriending its London soldiers and establishing contact with the Albanian gangster who masterminds the business from his swank Paris flat...Categorized as:
crime hard-boiled law-enforcement political-intrigue suspense thriller action-adventure adult -
Truth or Dare by M.J. Arlidge
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsDo you want to play the game?A crimewave sweeps through the city and no-one is safe. An arson at the docks. A carjacking gone wrong. A murder in a country park. What connects all these crimes without causes, which leave no clues?Detective Inspector Helen Grace faces the rising tide of cases which threatens to drown the city. But each crime is just a piece of a puzzle which is falling into place... -
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Past Crimes by G.K. Parks
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEight years ago, he covered up a murder. Now Alexis Parker has to prove he didn't do it. Except, she's not convinced he isn't guilty.Ever since Alex went to work for Lucien Cross, nothing's been the same. She's always been wary of him. Now, she finally knows why.The police discovered a body and enough evidence to put Cross in a cell for the rest of his life. He won't offer an explanation... -
Second Helping by Stephanie Bond
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSisters are like chubby thighs--they stick together!The Guy sisters are ready to take their place as top-tier private investigators. The problem is, the only thing top-tier about their strip-mall agency is Octavia’s wardrobe…and the cases that come their way are less on the exciting side, and more on the eccentric side... -
Expert Witness by Rebecca Forster
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAfter Hermosa Beach attorney Josie Bates successfully defended sixteen-year-old Hannah Sheraton against murder charges, she took the girl into her own home. Now, just days before becoming Hannah’s legal guardian, Josie Bates has disappeared and Hannah must enlist the help of Josie’s lover, Archer, to find her... -
Crisis of Conscience by G.K. Parks
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIt’s open season on federal agents, and Alexis Parker is the primary target.What happens when allies can't be trusted? Federal agent Alexis Parker is about to find out. After taking some personal time, Alex is back at work and embroiled in an investigation to uncover a traitor inside the Office of International Operations...Categorized as:
suspense law-enforcement female-mc hard-boiled police-procedural mystery alpha-mc fiction -
Warning Signs by G.K. Parks
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSecrets prove deadly in Alexis Parker's latest case...Alexis Parker is used to humdrum work assignments. Running background checks and tailing cheating spouses is common place for her and most of the private investigators at Cross Security. But she doesn't particularly enjoy digging up other people's dirt and shining a light on their nastier habits. However, it's a paycheck... -
Misplaced Trust by G.K. Parks
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWith the shake-up at the OIO, Alexis Parker is assigned to assist the DEA on a long-term undercover operation across the country. Being away from home might be just what Alex needs to regain some perspective, especially when Martin's been so distant lately. But this assignment might be more than either of them bargained for since the death toll continues to rise while hard evidence remains zilch...Categorized as:
suspense female-mc law-enforcement hard-boiled alpha-mc police-procedural fiction mystery -
The Long Game by G.K. Parks
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA con artist. A serial killer. And ten million dollars. This time, everything is at stake. When a man is murdered in front of Alexis Parker, it sends the private investigator into a tailspin that leads to a case of million dollar proportions. In order to get her mind off death, Alex agrees to help Don Klassi, a Martin Technologies board member, with a personal problem... -
Free Fall in Crimson by John D. MacDonald, Carl Hiaasen
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsMcGee tracks killers who brutally murder an ailing millionaire. He renews unfinished adventure with Hollywood actress who leads him into a nasty nest of murderers involving a motorcycle gang, porn movies, and mad balloonists. And Mcgee relearns old lesson. Only close to the edge of death does he feel completely alive... -
The Simple Art of Murder by Raymond Chandler
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsContains Chandler's essay on the art of detective stories and a collection of 8 classic Chandler mysteries... -
The Girl and the Deadly Express by A.J. Rivers
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsOn board an unstoppable train the truth of the past finally unfolds, but will it be at the expense of everyone’s life on board the deadly express?FBI agent Emma Griffin is starting to get her life back on track.But as she gets used to the changes in her career and settling into her personal life, questions about her past continue to haunt her... -
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When the Sacred Ginmill Closes by Lawrence Block
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsDowning a bourbon or two with a couple of cronies, Scudder witnesses a heist. The Morrisey brothers who run the joint are strangely submissive during the raid, but eager to see Scudder track down the thieves without involving the regular forces of law and order...Categorized as:
crime hard-boiled investigator law-enforcement noir political-intrigue politics suspense -
Keeping Secrets by L.A. Dobbs
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWhen long-time White Rock resident Mike Donnelly is found dead at his hunting camp, it appears as if the tragic death was by his own hand. But a gut feeling tells Chief of Police Sam Mason otherwise... -
The 13th Juror by John Lescroart
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsIn John T. Lescroart's brilliant new novel, The 13th Juror, Dismas Hardy, lawyer/investigator, undertakes the defense of Jennifer Witt, accused of murdering her husband and their eight-year-old son as well as her first husband, who had died nine years earlier from an apparent drug overdose. While preparing his case, Hardy learns that both of Jennifer's husbands had physically abused her...Categorized as:
crime investigator law-enforcement political-intrigue politics suspense thriller adult -
Wicked Prey by John Sandford, Richard Ferrone
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIt's September 2008, and the Republicans have come to St. Paul, Minnesota, for their convention. For most of the delegates, guests, reporters, and locals, it's a festive event, an occasion for having a good time and experiencing a unique moment in history. For law enforcement officials, however, it offers a grab-bag of embarrassing dangers, from small-fry con men to major stickup artists...Categorized as:
crime investigator law-enforcement political-intrigue politics suspense thriller action-adventure -
Silent as the Grave by Cheryl Bradshaw
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings38-year-old Rebecca Barlow drops her four-year-old son off at parents' house, promising to return by five.Five comes and goes.Then six.Then seven.Worried, Rebecca's parents try calling. She doesn't answer, and her friends haven't heard from her either. It seems no one has.As concern mounts, Rebecca's father drives to the lake house where she's been staying...Categorized as:
crime female-mc hard-boiled investigator law-enforcement political-intrigue politics thriller -
House Standoff: A Joe DeMarco Thriller by Mike Lawson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen someone close to him is shot dead in a roadside motel in a small-town in Wyoming, DeMarco shirks his responsibilities as the Speaker of the House's fixer to make sure the authorities are doing everything that can be done to catch the killer... -
The Silence at Mystery Bay by D.D. Black
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA thousand people watched. No one saw a thing.Private investigator Thomas Austin is enjoying a relaxing holiday vacation in picturesque Port Townsend, Washington, accompanied by an intriguing new friend. But his tranquility is shattered when the nearby community of Mystery Bay is rocked by the death of a revered musician at an infamous counterculture The Rabbit Hole... -
Trouble Brewing by G.K. Parks
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhile Alex and Martin prepare to return home, a storm is brewing that threatens to derail everything they’ve built.Private investigator Alexis Parker is ready to say goodbye to the sun, surf, and sand. The West Coast branch of Cross Security is finally getting off the ground, and Martin’s business in Los Angeles is coming to an end... -
The Night Game by Stacy M. Jones
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA series of strange burglaries. The death of a provocative shop owner. The twisted plan that ties them together. PI Riley Sullivan is faced with the daunting task of clearing a young man who has been arrested for the crimes.As Riley and her investigator partner, Cooper Deagnan, work to investigate the burglaries, they come to learn nothing has been stolen... -
Purview of Flashbulbs by G.K. Parks
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHollywood - the glitz, the glamour, and a threatening stalker. Is it all just part of the limelight? Working in the private sector has its perks, but boring cases isn't one of them. The most dangerous thing about Alexis Parker's latest P.I. gig is the selection of foods at craft services, or so she's been told... -
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Intended Target by G.K. Parks
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsInside the federal courthouse, a single gunshot punches a hole through the window, leaving two bodies in its wake. One of the victims is an Assistant United States Attorney. The other is juror number five. Due to the nature of the crime, the OIO is assigned to evaluate the security measures implemented by the U.S. Marshal Service... -
Dying for a Fix by G.K. Parks
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWelcome back, former federal agent Alexis Parker.Alex always said it'd be a cold day in hell before she'd step foot inside the OIO again, and the blizzard conditions outside prove her declaration true. But clipping on the badge doesn't mean taking a seat behind a desk or investigating a crime scene. It means infiltrating a local drug ring led by the city's most ruthless gang, the KXDs... -
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Easy as One Two Three by Willow Rose
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsASIN moved from less recent editionMads and Signe are very young when they get married. They are ready to take on the world, starting with their honeymoon to Egypt. Two years later, Mads is in a coma, and Signe has vanished from the face of the earth.Meanwhile, Emma Frost is looking for her daughter whom the police believe is guilty of the hit and run that left Mads Schou brain dead...Categorized as:
crime female-mc hard-boiled literary-fiction noir suspense thriller action-adventure -
The Sleepwalker by Joseph Knox
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratings‘He said he didn’t remember killing them…’As a series of rolling blackouts plunge the city into darkness, Detective Aidan Waits sits on an abandoned hospital ward, watching a mass murderer slowly die. Transferred from his usual night shift duties and onto protective custody, he has just one job…To extract the location of Martin Wick’s final victim before the notorious mass murderer passes away... -
Deeper Than the Dead by Debra Webb
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSomeone’s found the skeleton in the closet, and it’s not the only one. Wall Street Journal bestselling author Debra Webb presents an emotional new mystery. Crime analyst and newly disgraced deputy police chief Vera Boyett doesn’t visit home often, and she certainly doesn’t venture back into the cave on her family land... -
Sharko by Franck Thilliez
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratings" Sharko comparait toujours les premiers jours d'une enquête à une partie de chasse. Ils étaient la meute de chiens stimulés par les cors, qui s'élancent à la poursuite du gibier. À la différence près que, cette fois, le gibier, c'était eux. " Eux, c'est Lucie Henebelle et Franck Sharko, flics aux 36 quai des Orfèvres, unis à la ville comme à la scène, parents de deux petits garçons... -
Where All the Dead Lie by J.T. Ellison
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsRead book seven in New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison’s heart-racing, fan-favorite Taylor Jackson series! The headshot didn’t kill Nashville homicide lieutenant Taylor Jackson.But it will crack her psyche and take her to the very edge. In her showdown with the murderous Pretender, a bullet taken at close range severed the connection between Taylor’s thoughts and speech... -
Bred to Kill by Franck Thilliez
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe shocking sequel to the runaway international bestseller Syndrome ESyndrome E’s Lucie Henebelle and Inspector Sharko have reunited to take on the case of the brutal murder of Eva Louts, a promising graduate student who was killed while working at a primate research center outside of Paris. But what first appears to be a vicious animal attack soon proves to be something more sinister... -
The Green Ripper by John D. MacDonald
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsBeautiful girls always grace the Florida beaches, strolling, sailing, relaxing at the many parties on Travis McGee's houseboat, The Busted Flush. McGee was too smart--and had been around too long--for many of them to touch his heart. Now, however, there was Gretel. She had discovered the key to McGee--to all of him--and now he had something to hope for. Then, terribly, unexpectedly, she was dead...Categorized as:
crime hard-boiled investigator law-enforcement noir suspense thriller action-adventure -
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The Good Life by Martina Cole
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe new novel from No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author Martina Cole, whose works include DANGEROUS LADY, THE TAKE, THE LIFE and REVENGE... -
Her Last Wish by Blake Pierce
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFBI Agent Rachel Gift, 33, unparalleled for her ability to enter the minds of serial killers, is a rising star in the Behavioral Crimes Unit—until a routine doctor visit reveals she has but a few months left to live.Not wishing to burden others with her pain, Rachel decides, agonizing as it is, not to tell anyone—not even her boss, her partner, her husband, or her seven-year-old daughter... -
The President's Henchman by Joseph Flynn
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsAccording to the polls, it's only a matter of time - and not that long a time - before the United States elects its first female president. Which will make her husband - what? Well, if he's the ex-cop who solved the murder of the president's first husband and brought the killers to justice ... and if he's not the kind of guy to stand on formality ..Categorized as:
crime investigator political-intrigue politics suspense thriller action-adventure adult -
Pale Gray for Guilt by John D. MacDonald
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsTush Bannon was in the wrong spot at the wrong time. His measly plot of land just so happened to sit right in the middle of a rich parcel of five hundred riverfront acres that big-money real estate interests decided they simply must have.It didn’t matter that Tush was a nice guy with a family, or that he never knew he was dealing with a criminal element...Categorized as:
crime hard-boiled investigator law-enforcement noir politics suspense action-adventure -
Early Autumn by Robert B. Parker
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratings"[Robert B.] Parker's brilliance is in his simple dialogue, and in Spenser."--The Philadelphia InquirerA bitter divorce is only the beginning. First the father hires thugs to kidnap his son. Then the mother hires Spenser to get the boy back. But as soon as Spenser senses the lay of the land, he decides to do some kidnapping of his own... -
Stranger in Town by Cheryl Bradshaw
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsHe only needed her to look away for a few seconds... Six-year-old Olivia Hathaway tiptoes down the center aisle of Maybelle's Market, stopping once to glance over her shoulder and make sure her mother isn't watching. But Mrs. Hathaway is too preoccupied to notice her daughter has slipped away. Moments later, a frantic Mrs...Categorized as:
crime female-mc hard-boiled political-intrigue politics suspense thriller action-adventure
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