Books like 'The Dirty Duck'
Readers who enjoyed The Dirty Duck by Martha Grimes also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary mystery thriller crime law-enforcement cozy police-procedural humor whodunit animals
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An Isolated Incident by J.D. Kirk
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsDo you know who's knocking at your door?After a violent home invasion in the remote wilds of Glen Coe leaves a family of four dead, DCI Jack Logan and his team are brought in to lead the manhunt... -
Ahead of the Game by J.D. Kirk
Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsWhen a body is discovered at a popular Highland landmark, it seems like just another day on the job for DCI Jack Logan and his team.Except this body is missing a very vital component, and given its location - The Well of Seven Heads - it seems like someone is trying to send a message... -
A Death Most Monumental by J.D. Kirk
Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsWe all have our little secrets.When the remains of a brutally murdered young woman are left hanging from the Glenfinnan Monument in the Highlands of Scotland, DCI Jack Logan and his Major Investigations Team are dispatched to investigate.At first, the case appears to be fairly open and shut... -
Graves on the Fens by Joy Ellis
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIt arrives in the morning. An old-fashioned airmail envelope addressed to Detective Nikki Galena. Inside, on a single sheet of blue airmail paper, are three words:You failed me.The second airmail envelope arrives at Nikki’s home address. The same message. Only this time, it’s followed by four names: Alexandra Cornfield, Ruth Baker, Bethany Lyons, Leanne Delaney.Four missing women... -
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The Botanist by M.W. Craven
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 18 ratings'I swear I'm one bad mood away from calling it black magic and going home . . .'Detective Sergeant Washington Poe can count on one hand the number of friends he has. And he'd still have his thumb left. There's the insanely brilliant, guilelessly innocent civilian analyst, Tilly Bradshaw of course... -
Dark Skies: A DCI Ryan Mystery by LJ Ross
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFROM THE #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF HOLY ISLAND Beware what lies beneath… One fateful, starry night, three friends embark on a secret camping trip but only two return home. Thirty years later, the body of a teenage boy rises from the depths of England’s biggest reservoir and threatens to expose a killer who has lain dormant…until now... -
Firewater Blues by Caimh McDonnell
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBe careful who you love …It’s the year 2000 and while Bunny McGarry is theoretically on sabbatical from the police, he just can’t help sticking his nose in where it doesn’t belong.Rosie Flint is an old acquaintance of Bunny’s whose boyfriend mysteriously disappears off the face of the Earth... -
Cover Shot by LynDee Walker
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt’s been a slow news month in Richmond, and crime reporter Nichelle Clarke is enjoying the downtime when ominous messages and a dead body kick things into high gear. And that’s before the guy with the rifle takes a hospital full of people hostage... -
Under Pressure by Sara Driscoll, Susan Bennett
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFBI handler Meg Jennings and her K-9 partner, Hawk, are drawn into a case that involves a fortune in uncut gems, and an enemy whose power and ruthlessness know no bounds... Diamonds are no one’s best friend when the jewels in question are smuggled conflict gems. Meg Jennings and her Labrador, Hawk, have undertaken many search-and-rescue missions, but this case has an unusual twist... -
Hope to Die by Cara Hunter
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSelf-defense or murder? In the continuation of one of Britain’s most popular crime series from Cara Hunter — the author of the instant New York Times bestseller Murder in the Family — DI Fawley returns to determine if someone has staged a crime scene in connection with another homicide from years past. Midnight. A grisly murder scene at isolated farm on the outskirts of Oxford... -
COMEBACK GIRL: part 3 of 6 (Kindle Single) by Stephanie Bond
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAn Amazon exclusive! From the international bestselling author of STOP THE WEDDING! (now a Hallmark Channel movie) and the BODY MOVERS mystery series comes a new story of comedy, suspense, and romance. Home is where the hurt is... -
COCONUT WIRELESS: Funny Cozy Mysteries by Toby Neal
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratings"If you like the MIss Fortune series, you'll love Kat and her clue crew on Maui!"~ReviewerThe coconut wireless is always humming in Ohia, Maui—and the latest topic of gossip is me, Kat Smith.I’m Secret Service, not Postal Service—but I feel like a criminal when I’m appointed postmaster to a cozy little village on Maui... -
Bloody Genius by John Sandford
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsVirgil Flowers will have to watch his back--and his mouth--as he investigates a college culture war turned deadly in this thriller from #1 "New York Times" bestseller John Sandford.At the local state university, two feuding departments have faced off on the battleground of PC culture...Categorized as:
crime humor law-enforcement police-procedural suspense whodunit thriller action-adventure -
In the Cold Dark Ground by Stuart MacBride
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSergeant Logan McRae is in trouble…His missing-persons investigation has just turned up a body in the woods – naked, hands tied behind its back, and a bin bag duct-taped over its head. The Major Investigation Team charges up from Aberdeen, under the beady eye of Logan’s ex-boss Detective Chief Inspector Steel. And, as usual, she wants him to do her job for her... -
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The Night of the Party by Anna-Lou Weatherley
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsTwo Couples. Three Secrets. One Murder.In a beautiful house surrounded by woodland, the Drayton family and their dearest friends are enjoying dinner together. The wine is flowing, the meal has been lovingly prepared, and it’s going to be an evening none of them will ever forget…A doting motherwith a manipulative daughter.A loving husbandlying to his family.A close friendkeeping a shocking secret...Categorized as:
crime suspense thriller law-enforcement police-procedural whodunit mystery audiobook -
The Body on the Barstool by Lolli Powell
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratings2016 WISHING SHELF INDEPENDENT BOOK AWARDS BRONZE WINNER!New Yorker Erica "Ricki" Fontaine's n'er-do-well uncle has dropped dead and left her a dive bar in a small Ohio River town. With a lousy apartment, less-than-promising job prospects, and even worse romantic ones, the inheritance comes at just the right time. Ricki packs up her cat and heads for the Buckeye State... -
Dagger in the Dahlias by Dale Mayer
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsRiches to rags. … Chaos quiets. … Crime is circling. … And cold cases never cease …After almost a month in picturesque Kelowna, Doreen Montgomery still can’t keep her notoriety to a minimum or her nose out of other people’s business. Now those suffering from the loss of a loved one seek her out, wanting her help... -
15 Minutes by Larissa Reinhart
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratings#10days #findthewoman #getthejob #doNOTfallinlove When ex-teen star Maizie Albright returns to her Southern hometown of Black Pine, Georgia, she hoped to rid herself of Hollywood tabloid and reality show hell for a new career as a private investigator. Instead, Hollyweird follows her home. Maizie’s costar crushing, but now for her gumshoe boss. Her stage-monster mother still demands screen time... -
A Deeper Fear by Allison Brennan
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFBI Agent Lucy Kincaid’s husband, Sean Rogan, is in a dark place after being held captive. He won’t talk about it with anyone, not even Lucy. She’s hoping a conference in Sacramento, which includes family and the unveiling of a highly sought after drone Sean’s been working on, will help him heal... -
Deadline by John Sandford
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIt's Virgil Flowers! And one of the thrilling novels in the #1 "New York Times" bestselling series.In Southeast Minnesota, down on the Mississippi, a school board meeting is coming to an end. The board chair announces that the rest of the meeting will be closed, due to a personnel issue. “Issue” is the correct word. It's also an understatement...Categorized as:
crime humor law-enforcement police-procedural suspense thriller action-adventure adult -
Deep Freeze by John Sandford
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsClass reunions: a time for memories—good, bad, and, as Virgil Flowers is about to find out, deadly—in this New York Times bestselling thriller from John Sandford.Virgil knows the town of Trippton, Minnesota, a little too well...Categorized as:
crime humor law-enforcement police-procedural suspense whodunit thriller action-adventure -
Escape Clause by John Sandford
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsWhenever you hear the sky rumble, that usually means a storm. In Virgil Flowers’ case, make that two of them. Welcome to another exceptional thriller from the writer whose books are “pure reading pleasure” (Booklist) The first storm comes from, of all places, the Minnesota Zoo... -
The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThe nineteenth mystery in the #1 New York Times bestselling Armand Gamache seriesRelentless phone calls interrupt the peace of a warm August morning in Three Pines. Though the tiny Québec village is impossible to find on any map, someone has managed to track down Armand Gamache, head of homicide at the Sûreté, as he sits with his wife in their back garden... -
Dog Eat Dog by David Rosenfelt
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsLawyer Andy Carpenter and his golden retriever, Tara, work to free a man who risked it all to help a dog in need Lawyer Andy Carpenter and his wife, Laurie, enjoy walking their dogs, Tara and Sebastian. By this point in their marriage, it's routine. When out for one of their strolls, their simple ritual isn't so simple anymore. Across the street, a man is mistreating his dog... -
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Luck and Judgement by Peter Grainger
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsWhen a worker goes missing from a North Sea gas platform, there seem to be just two possible explanations – it was a tragic accident or a suicide. It does not take Smith and his detectives long, however, to discover that James Bell led a double life back onshore in Kings Lake, a life complicated enough to make him at least one dangerous enemy... -
The Railway Murders by J.R. Ellis
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA puzzling locked-room mystery that puts someone Oldroyd loves in terrible danger…When a film shoot on Wharfedale’s vintage railway turns into a grisly crime scene, DCI Oldroyd’s idyllic visit to the countryside with his partner Deborah is well and truly stopped in its tracks. One of the film’s stars has been shot dead in a train carriage while the cameras rolled outside... -
The Detective’s Daughter by Erica Spindler
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsNew Orleans Detective Quinn Conners is haunted by her father's whiskey-soaked, last words - that he solved the Hudson murder and kidnapping. It wasn't the first time he'd made that drunken claim, and she didn't believe him. Twenty-four hours later she found him dead by his own hand... -
COMEBACK GIRL: part 4 of 6 by Stephanie Bond
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAn Amazon exclusive! From the international bestselling author of STOP THE WEDDING! (now a Hallmark Channel movie) and the BODY MOVERS mystery series comes a new story of comedy, suspense, and romance. Home is where the hurt is... -
Wild Fire by Ann Cleeves
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWild Fire is the much-anticipated final book in Ann Cleeves's beloved Shetland Island series, now a major television triumph starring Douglas Henshall.When the Flemings—designer Helena and architect Daniel—move into a remote community in the north of Shetland, they think it's a fresh start for themselves and their children... -
No Way Out by Allison Brennan
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom Allison Brennan, the New York Times bestselling author of Cut and Run, comes a new e-novella, No Way Out: FBI Agent Lucy Kincaid faces her worst fear when her husband goes missing Nine years ago, mercenary Kane Rogan and photojournalist Siobhan Walsh risked their lives to rescue Hestia Juarez, a thirteen-year-old girl being forced to marry a much older man to expand her father’s crime family... -
Dead Ringer by Mary Burton
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsSOME NIGHTMARES . . . Beside each body, he leaves a simple charm bearing a woman’s name. Ruth . Judith . Rachel. The victims were strangers to each other, but they have been chosen with the utmost care. Each bears a striking resemblance to Kendall Shaw, a local anchorwoman…each brutally strangled by a madman whose obsession will never end... DON’T FADE . . -
Proof of Life by J.A. Jance
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsBe careful what you wish for . . . Before he retired, J. P. Beaumont had looked forward to having his days all to himself. But too much free time doesn’t suit a man used to brushing close to danger... -
New Tricks by David Rosenfelt
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAndy Carpenter gains possession of an adorable Bernese puppy whose owner was brutally murdered. Few can rival Andy's affection for dogs, and he will do whatever it takes to insure that this little pup doesn't fall into the wrong hands. However, his playful new friend is valued by several people, many of whom are willing to resort to violence to get what they want... -
Without Due Process by J.A. Jance
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWhat kind of monster would break into a man's home at night, then slaughter him and his family? The fact that the dead man was a model cop who was loved and respected by all only intensifies the horror. But the killer missed someone: a five-year-old boy who was hiding in the closet. Now word is being leaked out that the victim was "dirty." But Seattle P.D. Homicide Detective J.P... -
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ESCORT GIRL: part 3 of 6 by Stephanie Bond
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAn Amazon exclusive!In this romantic mystery, a young woman who works for a PR firm is chaperone, babysitter, and therapist to VIPS who come to Atlanta to promote their movies, music, books, TV shows, politics, and products.. -
CSI: Cat Sleuth Investigation by Chris Abernathy
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA cat who thinks he's a detective. A group of amateur female sleuths in a quiet beach town. A dead man. It's a recipe for fun - unless you're the local police chief. There are worse ways to go than sitting on a beach chair in Paradise Cove with a refreshing drink in your hand... -
Dream Town by Lee Goldberg
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA gated dream town for the megarich becomes a murderous nightmare in a riveting Eve Ronin thriller by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg. Hidden Hills is a private celebrity enclave of white picket fences and horse trails that seems to exist in a dreamworld... -
His Other Lie by Ava Strong
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsStella Fall, still reeling from the trauma of her deceitful fiancé and her failed engagement, has decided to pursue her dreams, follow in her father’s footsteps, and throw herself into law enforcement. Upon graduating from the FBI’s academy, she isf placed in the FBI’s Connecticut field office... -
Oranges and Lemons by Christopher Fowler
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratings"The most delightfully, wickedly entertaining duo in crime fiction." The Plain Dealer When a prominent politician is crushed by a fruit van making a delivery, the singular team of Arthur Bryant and John May overcome insurmountable odds to reunite the PCU and solve the case in the brainy new mystery from acclaimed author Christopher Fowler... -
The Girl Who Ran Away: The McClintock-Carter Crime Thriller Series by Susan Lund
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA new missing persons case, a prime suspect and questions about an old friend challenge amateur sleuth and crime reporter Tess McClintock and FBI Special Agent Michael Carter in THE GIRL WHO RAN AWAY, a new book in the McClintock-Carter Crime Thriller Series... -
Night Frost by R.D. Wingfield
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA serial killer is terrorizing the senior citizens of Denton, and the local police are succumbing to a flu epidemic. Tired and demoralized, the force has to contend with a seemingly perfect young couple suffering arson attacks and death threats, a suspicious suicide, burglaries, pornographic videos, poison-pen letters..Categorized as:
crime humor law-enforcement police-procedural suspense thriller action-adventure adult -
Deck the Hounds by David Rosenfelt
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThis Christmas mystery, featuring criminal defense lawyer Andy Carpenter and his faithful golden retriever, Tara, showcases Rosenfelt’s trademark humor and larger-than-life characters. Reluctant lawyer Andy Carpenter doesn’t usually stop to help others, but seeing a dog next to a homeless man inspires him to give the pair some money to help. It’s just Andy’s luck that things don’t end there... -
The Killing Habit by Mark Billingham
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFrom “one of the most consistently entertaining, insightful crime writers working today” (Gillian Flynn), The Killing Habit again brings together favorite wild-card detective Tom Thorne and straight-laced DI Nicola Tanner on a pair of lethally high-stakes cases... -
The Cutting Season by M.W. Craven
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsPoe's just hanging around on a Saturday afternoon...Dangling from a hook in a meat packing plant isn't how Detective Sergeant Washington Poe wants to spend his weekend. He's been punched and kicked and threatened, and when a contract killer arrives it seems things are about to go from bad to worse... -
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Dead at First Sight by Peter James
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA man waits at London Airport for Ingrid Ostermann, the love of his life, to arrive. Across the Atlantic, a retired NYPD cop waits in a bar in Florida’s Key West for his first date with the lady who is, without question, his soulmate. The two men are about to discover they’ve been scammed out of almost every penny they have—and that neither woman exists... -
Minor in Possession by J.A. Jance
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA gripping story of buried truths, deceit, and sudden, brutal death from the New York Times bestselling author of "Long Time Gone." All manner of sinners and sufferers come to the rehab ranch in Arizona when they hit rock bottom. For Seattle detective J.P. Beaumont, there is a deeper level of Hell here: being forced to room with teenage drug dealer Joey Rothman... -
Leader of the Pack by David Rosenfelt
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsOver the course of his legal career, Andy Carpenter has lost a few cases. But that doesn't mean he forgets his clients. Andy has always been convinced that Joey Desimone, a man convicted of murder nine years ago, was innocent and believes that Joey's family's connections to organized crime played a pivotal role in his conviction... -
Collared by David Rosenfelt, Grover Gardner
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThis program is read by series narrator Grover Gardner. Lawyer Andy Carpenters true passion is the Tara Foundation, the dog rescue organization he runs with his friend Willie Miller. All kinds of dogs make their way to the foundation, and it isnt that surprising to find a dog abandoned at the shelter one morning, though it was accompanied by a mysterious anonymous note... -
The Old Fox Deceiv'd by Martha Grimes
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIt is a chilly and foggy Twelfth Night, wild with North Sea wind, when a bizarre murder disturbs the outward piece of Rackmoor, a tiny Yorkshire fishing village with a past that proves a tangled maze of unrequited loves, unrevenged wrongs, and even undiscovered murders.Inspector Jury finds no easy answers in his investigation—not even the identity of the victim, a beautiful young woman... -
Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsShetland Detective Jimmy Perez knows it will be a difficult homecoming when he returns to the Fair Isles to introduce his fiancee, Fran, to his parents. When a woman's body is discovered at the renowned Fair Isles bird observatory, Jimmy must investigate the old-fashioned way...
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