Books like 'Runaway Train'
Readers who enjoyed Runaway Train by Lee Matthew Goldberg also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary psychological north-america urban california usa drama coming-of-age
-
The Light Through the Leaves by Glendy Vanderah
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsOne unbearable mistake at the edge of the forest.In a moment of crisis, Ellis Abbey leaves her daughter, Viola, unattended—for just a few minutes. But when she returns, Viola is gone. A breaking point in an already fractured marriage, Viola’s abduction causes Ellis to disappear as well—into grief, guilt, and addiction... -
Sinister by Jana Deleon
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsStreet kids are disappearing, but how do you report that to the police when, from their standpoint, the missing people didn’t exist to begin with? Hustle is certain that something bad has happened to his friend Jinx, and the only person he can turn to for help is private investigator Shaye Archer... -
The Death Sculptor by Chris Carter
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsA student nurse has the shock of her life when she discovers her patient, prosecutor Derek Nicholson, brutally murdered in his bed. The act seems senseless - Nicholson was terminally ill with only weeks to live. But what most shocks Detective Robert Hunter is the calling card the killer left behind... -
Life After by Katie Ganshert
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIt could have been me. Snow whirls around an elevated train platform in Chicago. A distracted woman boards the train, takes her seat, and moments later a fiery explosion rips through the frigid air, tearing the car apart in a horrific attack on the city’s transit system. One life is spared. Twenty-two are lost... -
-
The Shadow Girl by Misty Mount
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsShy, thirteen-year-old Zylia has always known she was different. Most teenagers feel unnoticed and unseen, but for Zylia, it's something much worse. She's disappearing from this world and doesn't know how to stop it. At times, she's not sure she wants to. Until she stumbles across a family mystery surrounding the disappearance of her great-aunt Angelica years earlier... -
The Next Grave by Kendra Elliot
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsA Wall Street Journal bestselling series.Following a murder and a woman’s sudden disappearance, investigations into old crimes and new collide in an alarming novel of suspense by a Wall Street Journal and Amazon Charts bestselling author.Detective Evan Bolton is gutted by his latest investigation... -
I Know a Secret by Tess Gerritsen
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIn the twelfth gripping novel featuring Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles, the crime-solving duo—featured in the smash-hit TNT series Rizzoli & Isles—are faced with the gruesomely staged murder of a horror film producer.The crime scene is unlike any that Detective Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles have ever before encountered... -
We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsThere are two kinds of families: the ones we are born into and the ones we create.Walk has never left the coastal California town where he grew up. He may have become the chief of police, but he’s still trying to heal the old wound of having given the testimony that sent his best friend, Vincent King, to prison decades before. Now, thirty years later, Vincent is being released... -
Suicide Watch by Kelley York
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratings18-year-old Vincent has spent his entire life being shuffled from one foster home to the next. His grades sucked. Making friends? Out of the question thanks to his nervous breakdowns and unpredictable moods. Still, Vince thought when Maggie Atkins took him in, he might've finally found a place to get his life--and his issues--in order.When Maggie dies, it all falls apart... -
The Eye of the Sheep by Sofie Laguna
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAn alternative cover edition for the ISBN can be found here."Ned was beside me, his messages running easily through him, with space between each one, coming through him like water. He was the go-between, going between the animal kingdom and this one. I watched the waves as they rolled and crashed towards us, one after another, never stopping, always changing... -
Genevieve by Eric Jerome Dickey
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsGenevieve is brilliant and beautiful. Her husband has a thriving career. Together, they have a beautiful home in Los Angeles. Together, they're crazy in love. Then one day a family tragedy brings Genevieve back to her Alabama hometown, back to a past she hoped her husband would never discover, and back to secrets shared by her sister Kenya-mysterious, teasing, and dangerously irresistible... -
Little Girls Sleeping by Jennifer Chase
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsHe looked down at the little girl, sleeping peacefully, her arms wrapped around a teddy bear. He knew he was the only one who could save her. He could let her sleep forever. An eight-year-old girl, Chelsea Compton, is missing in Pine Valley, California and for Detective Katie Scott it’s a cruel reminder of the friend who disappeared from summer camp twenty years ago... -
The Perfect Block by Blake Pierce
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsIn THE PERFECT BLOCK (Book #2), rookie criminal profiler Jessie Hunt, 29, picks up the pieces of her broken life and leaves suburbia to start a new life in downtown Los Angeles. But when a wealthy socialite is murdered, Jessie, assigned the case, finds herself back in the world of picture-perfect suburbia, hunting a deranged killer amidst the false facades of normalcy and sociopathic women... -
Absolute Fear by Lisa Jackson
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsEvery Serial Killer... A serial killer is stalking the streets of New Orleans. The victims are killed in a ritual fashion, a series of numbers tattooed into their bodies. There are no clues, no connections except one: a crumbling old asylum that was once the scene of unspeakable madness--and is now the calling card of a new kind of fear. Is Searching For.. -
-
At First Light by Barbara Nickless
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsRitual murder. Archaic clues. A visionary killer. In this heart-stopping novel by the Wall Street Journal and Amazon Charts bestselling author of the Sydney Rose Parnell series, words can kill.On the muddy banks of the Calumet River, a body has been found posed next to a series of mysterious glyphs and bearing wounds from a ritualistic slaying... -
Christina by Leanne Davis
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMy entire life I’ve lived with shadows lurking behind what otherwise appears like the perfect family. My mother often disappears into her bedroom for days at a time because her life becomes too much to deal with. I never understood it. I know there are family secrets. I hear the whispers and innuendos. But no one wants me to know the truth. The thing is: I’m not a little girl anymore... -
Hunger for Life by Andy Marr
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOn the day of his graduation, James says goodbye to the future and moves back to his parents’ house in Myreton, the sleepy village of his childhood. He’s not happy, but the thought of continuing his life anywhere else seems unthinkable while his sister, Emma, continues to suffer with the illness that’s plagued her since she was a child...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama romance fiction family contemporary mental-illness psychological -
The House of Gazes by Daniele Mencarelli
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWinner of the 2019 John Fante First Novel Prize The critically acclaimed novel from the author of Everything Calls for Salvation , adapted into a Netflix Original series, is a powerful coming-of-age story about loss, identity, and rebirth Daniele is a young poet plagued by an unknown darkness, “an invisible disease of the heart, or of the mind...Categorized as:
drama coming-of-age fiction contemporary audiobook literary-fiction psychological book -
More or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA breathless, riveting novel about a young woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder who rejects the stability and approval found in a traditionally “normal” life for a career in stand-up comedy.Maddy Banks is just like any other stressed-out freshman at NYU. Between schoolwork, exams, navigating life in the city, and a recent breakup, it’s normal to be feeling overwhelmed... -
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 94 ratingsSylvia Plath's shocking, realistic, and intensely emotional novel about a woman falling into the grip of insanityEsther Greenwood is brilliant, beautiful, enormously talented, and successful, but slowly going under—maybe for the last time... -
Open Season by Jonathan Kellerman
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsPsychologist Alex Delaware and Detective Milo Sturgis become embroiled in an all-out race against time to find a twisted assassin in this riveting thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling “master of suspense” (Los Angeles Times).Los Angeles is a city of stars, a city of strivers and wannabes. Not everyone can shine bright, but they’ll burn themselves up for a glimpse of the high life... -
My Mother's Eyes: A Short Story by Jeremy Ray
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“You’re wrong, Jordie. You’ll see. Draw me just one more time.”No one knows if his mother will come out of her coma, so fourteen-year-old Jordie memorializes her in the only way he knows how: by drawing her. His older brother doesn’t approve of these sketches, but Jordie’s determined to capture the person she used to be... -
His Brown-Eyed Girl by Liz Talley
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsShe's saving him from…the kids? Lucas Finlay is used to calling the shots. But looking after his two nephews and niece in New Orleans, he's entirely out of his league. Luckily help is next door. With almost no effort Addy Toussant manages to make order from the kid chaos. Lucas is beyond grateful…he's also very attracted to her. Images of an adults-only playdate are soon dancing in his head... -
The Third Grave by Lisa Jackson
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA thrilling new crime novel from the bestselling author of You Betrayed Me, perfect for fans of Sandra Brown and Iris Johansen! Return to the dark side of Savanna, Georgia where a crime writer and her detective husband are working a cold case, and hot on the trail of a killer who’s work isn’t done... -
-
Cherry Bomb by J.A. Konrath
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAt the end of Fuzzy Navel, J. A. Konrath surprised readers with an agonizing cliff-hanger: One of Lieutenant Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels's loved ones is dead. But who Readers were left clamoring to know more.Cherry Bomb, the sixth Jack Daniels mystery, opens at the funeral. While Jack stands graveside, tears in her eyes, her cell phone rings... -
Dreams from Bunker Hill by John Fante
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsMy first collision with fame was hardly memorable. I was a busboy at Marx's Deli. The year was 1934. The place was Third and Hill, Los Angeles. I was twenty-one years old, living in a world bounded on the west by Bunker Hill, on the east by Los Angeles Street, on the south by Pershing Square, and on the north by Civic Center... -
Once a Runner by John L. Parker Jr.
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsOnce a Runner captures the essence of what it means to be a competitive runner; to devote your entire existence to a single-minded pursuit of excellence. It has become one of the most beloved sports novels ever written... -
Girls with Bright Futures by Tracy Dobmeier, Wendy Katzman
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThree women. Three daughters. And a promise that they'll each get what they deserve.College admissions season at Seattle's Elliott Bay Academy is marked by glowing acceptances from top-tier institutions, and students as impressive as their parents are ambitious... -
The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsBestselling romance author and ardent knitter Debbie Macomber combines both her skills in this novel about a newly opened Seattle yarn shop and the knitting class that brings four women together to make baby blankets. The owner of the shop and her three students produce more than blankets, knitting together bonds of solidarity, friendship, love, hope, and renewal... -
Split by Swati Avasthi
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSixteen-Year-Old Jace Witherspoon arrives at the doorstep of his estranged brother Christian with a re-landscaped face (courtesy of his father’s fist), $3.84, and a secret... -
The Lucky Ones by Liz Lawson
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFor fans of Thirteen Reasons Why, This Is How It Ends, and All the Bright Places, comes a new novel about life after. How do you put yourself back together when it seems like you've lost it all?May is a survivor. But she doesn't feel like one. She feels angry. And lost. And alone... -
Among the Missing by Dan Chaon
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn this haunting, bracing new collection, Dan Chaon shares stories of men, women, and children who live far outside the American Dream, while wondering which decision, which path, or which accident brought them to this place. Chaon mines the psychological landscape of his characters to dazzling effect. Each story radiates with sharp humor, mystery, wonder, and startling compassion... -
The Red Sheet by Mia Kerick, C. Kennedy
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsOne October morning, high school junior Bryan Dennison wakes up a different person helpful, generous, and chivalrous a person whose new admirable qualities he doesn't recognize. Stranger still is the urge to tie a red sheet around his neck like a cape.Bryan soon realizes this compulsion to wear a red cape is accompanied by more unusual behavior... -
Ten Birthdays by Kerry Wilkinson
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratings*Winner of the Romantic Novelists' Association Young Adult Novel of the Year 2018*"There are going to be so many things I wish I could’ve told you in person, Poppy. I won’t get the chance to do that, so perhaps this is my only way…"It’s Poppy Kinsey’s birthday... -
-
The Night Bird by Brian Freeman
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsHomicide detective Frost Easton doesn’t like coincidences. When a series of bizarre deaths rock San Francisco—as seemingly random women suffer violent psychotic breaks—Frost looks for a connection that leads him to psychiatrist Francesca Stein. Frankie’s controversial therapy helps people erase their most terrifying memories…and all the victims were her patients... -
The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe chocolate went first, then the cheese, the fries, the ice cream. The bread was more difficult, but if she could just lose a little more weight, perhaps she would make the soloists’ list. Perhaps if she were lighter, danced better, tried harder, she would be good enough. Perhaps if she just ran for one more mile, lost just one more pound... -
The Speed of Light: A Novel by Elissa Grossell Dickey
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSimone is trying her best not to think of what she’s lost. Diagnosed with MS, she awaits the results of another anxiety-inducing MRI. She’s just walked away from Connor, “a fixer” but possibly the love of her life. And nearing the holidays, the sights and sounds of winter in South Dakota only prick memories of better years gone by... -
Leaving Las Vegas by John O'Brien
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsLeaving Las Vegas, the first novel by John O’Brien, is a disturbing and emotionally wrenching story of a woman who embraces life and a man who rejects it. Sera, a prostitute, and Ben, an alcoholic, stumble together and discover in each other a respite from their unforgiving lives... -
The First Rule of Ten by Gay Hendricks, Tinker Lindsay
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratings“Don’t ignore intuitive tickles lest they reappear as sledgehammers.” That’s the first rule of Ten. Tenzing Norbu (“Ten” for short)—ex-monk and soon-to-be ex-cop—is a protagonist unique to our times... -
The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLaura Dave continues Hannah Hall’s pulse-pounding journey in the riveting and deeply moving sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling blockbuster and Apple TV+ show, The Last Thing He Told Me.Five years after her husband, Owen, disappeared, Hannah Hall and her stepdaughter, Bailey, have settled into a new life in Southern California... -
Your Voice Is All I Hear by Leah Scheier
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsI was the one he trusted. I was the one he loved, the only one who believed him, even when his own mother had locked him up and thrown away the key.And now, I was going to pass down the white tiled hallway, knock on his doctor’s office door, slam his secret notebook on her desk and make her read it, make her understand what he was hiding, make her see what only I had seen... -
Sara in Montana - A Christmas Wish by Morris Fenris
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhat happens when a California girl meets a Montana guy in the middle of a crisis? Sara wished for a husband for Christmas this year and then married her boss. Now she is running for her life from him with a warrant out for her arrest, doesn’t want to be married anymore, and really needs a miracle to save her... -
The Edge of Anything by Nora Shalaway Carpenter
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA *Kirkus Reviews* Best Book of 2020One of A Mighty Girl's Best Books of the YearFinalist for the Cybils AwardsLen is a loner teen photographer haunted by a past that’s stagnated her work and left her terrified she’s losing her mind. Sage is a high school volleyball star desperate to find a way around her sudden medical disqualification. Both girls need college scholarships...Categorized as:
north-america usa coming-of-age drama north-carolina young-adult contemporary mental-illness -
Can't Look Away by Carola Lovering
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom the author of Tell Me Lies and Too Good to Be True comes Carola Lovering's Can't Look Away, a sexy suspense novel about the kind of addictive, obsessive love that keeps you coming back––no matter how hard you try to look away.In 2013, twenty-three-year old Molly Diamond is a barista, dreaming of becoming a writer... -
-
Fig by Sarah Elizabeth Schantz
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAn NPR Best Book of 2015Love and sacrifice intertwine in this brilliant debut of rare beauty about a girl dealing with her mother’s schizophrenia and her own mental illness.Fig’s world lies somewhere between reality and fantasy.But as she watches Mama slowly come undone, it becomes hard to tell what is real and what is not, what is fun and what is frightening... -
Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsSixteen-year-old Solomon is agoraphobic. He hasn’t left the house in three years, which is fine by him.Ambitious Lisa desperately wants to get into the second-best psychology program for college (she’s being realistic). But is ambition alone enough to get her in?Enter Lisa... -
The Museum of Desire by Jonathan Kellerman
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsONE NIGHT OF HEDONISM. FOUR MURDER VICTIMS.A run-down mansion nestled between Beverley Hills and the San Fernando Valley is leased out for one night to house a party big enough to herald the end of days.When a limo is discovered in the grounds of the house the morning after with four dead bodies inside, a mind-bending case begins... -
All the Little Animals by Walker Hamilton
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA beguiling, unsettling and ultimately moving modern fable set on the byways of rural Cornwall; a story about running away, the search for acceptance and burying road-kill.Bobby is a 31 year old man with the mind of a small, frightened boy. He has run away from his privileged but abusive London home to rural Cornwall...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama action-adventure adult book contemporary fiction literary-fiction -
The Measure of the Moon by Lisa Preston
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“If you ever say anything to anyone, they all die.” When eight-year-old Greer Donner falls off his horse in the Washington wilderness, he braces himself to face the long hike home alone. But screams pierce the darkness, and he stumbles upon a dead-end road where a man is beating a woman—nearly to death... -
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 76 ratingsAlternate cover editions for this ISBN can be found here and here.The instant #1 New York Times bestselling mystery and Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick that’s captivated more than a million readers about a woman searching for the truth about her husband’s disappearance…at any cost.Before Owen Michaels disappears, he manages to smuggle a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her...
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.