IndieReader.com’s Best Indie Books of 2013
‘A Breakneck Roller Coaster Ride’
She acts like she’s your new best friend, but is she really a deadly enemy?
When Isabel Anderson nearly runs over mysterious Alicia McBride, she is ridden with guilt. She helps Alicia get a job at the supermarket where she works, and soon, Alicia is acting like her new best friend. But then strange fires start to break out all over the small seaside town of Queensbeach, including at the caravan park where Alicia is staying. Isabel suspects Alicia knows more than she’s letting on and grows increasingly nervous when her friend Deacon invites Alicia to stay with him. But it’s Isabel the police suspect.
Determined to confront Alicia, Isabel bursts into her room and sees the word ‘FRY’ branded across her back in capital letters. From then on, she sees the word “FRY’ everywhere she goes: in graffiti, on toilet walls, even on car registration plates. Then her beloved cat, Fluffy, disappears and Isabel is convinced Alicia is behind it. She puts up posters all over her neighbourhood, but as fast as she puts them up, someone takes them down. Soon, a whole spate of fires is breaking out and Isabel must stay one step ahead of the flames and the police. In order to survive, she must question her own innocence, her sanity and the very fabric of her morality. Can she win back Deacon? And will she ever find Fluffy?
FRY is a very British fast-paced psychological thriller.
The Characters
Red-haired Isabel Anderson lives on a diet of tea and takeaways. She’s a junior manager at her local supermarket but she lacks ambition and her greatest passion in life is for shopping. She drinks too much, smokes too much and spends too much. She is also fiercely independent and lives alone with only her cat, Fluffy for company.
Deacon Frost is a good-natured but slightly opinionated doctor. He is well-built and used to work as a bouncer. He now lives in a beautiful beach house overlooking the sea. He ought to have everything, but he’s been single for many years.
Alicia McBride is new in town and dresses like a bedraggled orphan. She has an aura of wide-eyed innocence, but does something darker lurk beneath? What brings her to Queensbeach? And why now?
The Setting
Queensbeach is a fictional English seaside town, out of season. With all the tourists gone for winter, it feels a bit like a ghost town. The sky is almost permanently grey, making it the perfect setting for a chilling psychological thriller.
The style
FRY is a psychological thriller written in a conversational British style. If you like female led crime thrillers, then this is book is for you. It has romance, but there is also an intriguing mystery that will keep you guessing right up until the very last page.
Top of the free kindle download charts
At its launch, FRY was number one for free English language psychological thrillers on both Amazon Canada and Amazon Germany.
Other books by this author
May Queen Killers (Coming Soon)
www.LornaDounaeva.com
Music is a bitch mistress.Getting the job as a backup singer in the breakout rock band Killer Valentine is the chance of a lifetime for curvy, redheaded Rhiannon Macallen. She has spent every moment of the last five years preparing for her shot at the spotlight with a breakneck schedule of music lessons, band performances, and voice coaching that has consumed every second of her life and every penny from her poverty-level part-time job.The contract she signs has an ironclad no-fraternization clause: no screwing around with the band members.But Killer Valentine is falling apart. Drugs, groupies, and the rock-and-roll lifestyle are seducing the rockers despite the desperate efforts of the lead singer and the band manager, a green-eyed, gorgeous hunk named Jonas Rees.Rhiannon tries to help Jonas hold the band together, but every time they retrieve one of the rockers from another drug-addled disaster, Jonas’s sultry looks and lingering touches make her yearn for what might have been.Unless she’s willing to risk her only chance at stardom for love.
Sleepy little North Bend just woke up.
The newly promoted Sergeant Jade Monroe, and her partner, Detective Jack Steele, have just been informed of an unidentified male body found at a local lake. The town is in an uproar. The victim was nearly decapitated, and murder simply doesn’t happen in North Bend.
As more bodies turn up, the single connection between all of the victims becomes clear—it’s Jade, herself.
With each new victim getting one step closer to Jade, time begins to tick away. She must find the person responsible before her loved ones, or herself, are targeted next.
Note: All Detective Jade Monroe books are standalone stories, yet they are best read in chronological order.
#1 Maniacal
#2 Captive
#3 Fallacy (coming soon)
#4 Premonition (coming soon)
Side Chicks don’t know their place…
but one wife is here to remind them of where they belong.
Remember when side chicks were undercover and ashamed of the men they slept with? Those days are long gone. Side bitches are bold in their quest to steal husbands and boyfriends without any remorse. But their reign is about to end!
Nova is the loving wife of Tyriq. No matter how well he treats her, he can’t help his wandering eye. When his mistress threatens to unravel their perfect life. Nova takes matters into her own hand.
Aoki is the self professed queen of the side chicks. Without any guilt she uses married men for money, but it comes at a steep price. Eventually she learns that what she is doing is wrong but will it be too late?
Skye is the sister of Nova and the best friend of Aoki. She is trying to follow the example of her sister by being a doting wife. But Aoki’s influence is surely tempting.
Follow the lives of these young women as they navigate through betrayal, sex, relationships and purely crazy drama!
When a tall, dark and dangerously sexy Alpha werewolf rescues Diana from a vicious attack, she doesn’t know who to fear more – her attacker or the wolf. She’s heard whispered legends of a powerful werewolf but never believed such a creature could exist. Captured by the wolf, she’s taken to his den, and to his bed.Five years ago, a tragedy shattered Ryker’s heart. As Alpha of the Silver Creek Pack, his duty to protect the pack compelled him to institute a new law – never bring a human to the den. But after saving Diana, he can’t abandon the curvaceous woman alone in the woods, so he violates the law. He’ll take her back to the town of Full Moon Bay as soon as night falls. But as the hours dwindle and his desire for her grows, a dark force builds a powerful weapon to use against the wolves.This is the first book in the paranormal romance series – Wolf Pack Protectors. This is a stand-alone book with no cliffhangers. Love scenes are fully realized and at times include explicit language.Please note: This book was previously published as Rescued by the Alpha. It has been updated.
Farrell Black is dirty, dangerous, and holds nothing sacred. Growing up on the mean streets of London, he clawed his way to the top of a criminal empire with nothing but sheer force of will and the determination to need no one.
Ever.
Then he met Jenna Carver, and all bets were off — until the day she walked out of his life without a backward glance.
Leaving him was the hardest thing she’d ever done.
As a kid, Jenna knew how people looked at her. Like she was stupid. Worthless. Poor. So she spent her life working to become someone else. Then she met Farrell Black, and their all-consuming passion blew a hole in everything she thought she knew about herself.
Until she was forced to make a terrible choice.
Now Jenna is back in London for her father’s funeral, desperate to avoid the one man who can banish her hard-earned reason in favor of red-hot ecstasy. But when her father’s death is tied to an abuse of power at the highest levels, she has no choice but to ask Farrell for help.
As they work together to find answers to a puzzle that could have dangerous implications, desire threatens to undo them both — and forces Jenna to choose between keeping the secret of a lifetime and having the one man who can command her body and soul.
Shortlisted for the 2016 Prince Edward Island Book Award for fiction.Join Molly on her hilarious adventures as she dodges bullets, trespasses, wears disguises, and steals her way into trouble.Professional, experienced contract burglar.It’s not exactly something you can put on a business card.Molly Miranda has made a successful living from “acquiring” valuables and delivering them to clients who pay buckets of cash for her unique services.So what if she has to lie about her lavish lifestyle in Manhattan and her frequent trips out of the country? Molly has everything under control.Things go astray when she knocks boots with her charming roommate right before taking off to Scotland with an untrustworthy wildcard on a job assignment that doesn’t go quite as planned.It doesn’t help that this new partner-in-crime is super annoying. And attractive…The sequel, Molly Miranda: Thick as Thieves, out now!Perfect for fans of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series or comedies by Meg Cabot. Recently reached #3 in Women’s Adventure and #4 in Humor & Satire (American) on Amazon!Praise for Molly Miranda”How much fun is this? I’m loving the debut from Hamilton–now I need more about her sassy, sometimes awkward and always brave heroine, Molly Miranda. Stealing other people’s stuff has never been so charming. Bravo!”- Patti Larsen, award-winning author of the Hayle Coven series”It’s tense and smart-alecky. It’s likeable without being sweet. It’s sexy and tough, and as apt to kick you in the pants as to kiss you on the cheek.”- Award-winning author Leo McKay Jr.”Molly Miranda is a fun read with some good messages of self awareness and identity laced through the humour and suspense.”- Author Natalie Corbett SampsonAuthor Q&ATell us about Molly Miranda. What makes her tick?Molly Miranda is in her early twenties and has a pretty average life- except for the fact that she makes her living by stealing big ticket items like art, jewelry and the odd historical artifact. She doesn’t really consider herself good at anything else and gets twitchy when she’s not out on assignment. She feels safest when she’s just acquired a hefty amount of cash as money equals stability. For Molly, financial security equals happiness. Have you always been interested in thieves in fiction? If not, why now?Not specifically. I knew I wanted to make Molly a criminal. I initially considered making her a hired assassin but thought it might be easier to make her a likeable character if her crime didn’t physically hurt anyone so I made her a burglar who steals items from people who can afford to have things stolen from them. Plus, my book is a comedy. Much easier to make a book funny and light-hearted if nobody is being murdered. Once I decided to make her a thief, I did some research and became fascinated. Obsessed, even. I think I could pull of a decent heist if the opportunity ever came up. What sort of research went into Thief For Hire?I basically inhaled Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief by Bill Mason. Such a fantastic read. Unbelievable. I also read Catch Me If You Can by Frank Abagnale, The Rescue Artist by Edward Dolnick, The Thefts of the Mona Lisa by Noah Charney (Charney is a fantastic wealth of art theft information) and The Gardner Heist by Ulrich Boser. I’ve also watched a lot of documentaries on art forgeries, art thefts and famous thieves like Bonnie and Clyde.(Courtesy of author John L. Monk)
“A dynamic story line that grips from the first chapter and doesn’t let go.” –Midwest Book Review, Diane Donovan (regarding Once Gone) From #1 bestselling mystery author Blake Pierce comes a new masterpiece of psychological suspense.Homicide Detective Avery Black has been through hell. Once a top criminal defense attorney, she fell from grace when she managed to get a brilliant Harvard professor off—only to watch him kill again. She lost her husband and her daughter, and her life fell apart around her.Trying to redeem herself, Avery has turned to the other side of the law. Working her way up the ranks, she has reached Homicide Detective, to the scorn of her fellow officers, who still remember what she did, and who will always hate her.Yet even they cannot deny Avery’s brilliant mind, and when a disturbing serial killer strikes fear into the heart of Boston, killing girls from elite colleges, it is Avery that they turn to. It is Avery’s chance to prove herself, to finally find the redemption she craves. And yet, as she is soon to find out, Avery has come up against a killer as brilliant and daring as she.In this game of psychological cat and mouse, women are dying with mysterious clues, and the stakes could not be higher. A frantic race against time leads Avery through a series of shocking and unexpected twists—culminating in climax that even Avery could not imagine. A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, CAUSE TO KILL marks the debut of a riveting new series—and a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night. Book #2 in the Avery Black series will be available soon.“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery. Pierce did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side, so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.” –Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)
An International and Amazon top 50 bestselling novel.
“I absolutely fell in love with What’s Left of Me by Amanda Maxlyn. With an uncanny ability to weave an intensely emotional story into a sexy romance, Maxlyn is a debut author you do not want to miss.” – AL Jackson, NYT and USA Today Best Selling Author
Life works in mysterious ways…
Four years ago I became known as the girl with cancer.
I refuse to cry. And I refuse to give in.
A relationship with a man is the last thing I’m looking for right now, but one night with Parker changes everything. He is persistent, and he knows what he wants.
Me.
He doesn’t treat me like I’m fragile. But he doesn’t know, and I’m not ready to tell him.
What if it changes everything?
Tragedy found me when I was seventeen. Love found me when I was twenty-one.
My name is Aundrea McCall, and this is my journey.
**What’s Left of Me is book one in a powerful, emotional, and steamy love story.**
A KINDLE TOP-20, USA-TODAY BESTSELLING ROMANCE!*FIRST in the PACIFIC HORIZONS series. In these connected romantic novels, characters facing tragedy, heartbreak, and painful family secrets are drawn to the wild beauty of the natural world. Breaching whales and howling wolves refresh their spirits, but only human love can heal their souls…Haley knew that carrying her twin sister’s baby would be a sacrifice.She just didn’t know how great.Pregnant, overworked, and driven to the end of her rope by the neediness of the sister and widowed mother who depend on her, a high-powered young attorney seeks refuge with a week’s vacation on the Alaskan coast. As overachiever Haley soaks up the serenity of her unexpectedly agreeable surroundings, she finds something else she doesn’t expect — deep feelings for the wildlife-loving boat captain who reminds her how to laugh. With her unborn niece or nephew on the way and thousands of miles of ocean between their lives and careers, Haley and Ben settle for a friendship. But back home in California, the emptiness in Haley’s heart begins to fester. When her pregnancy takes a frightening turn, she must examine what really matters — and rediscover the childhood dream she never realized she had lost.*Kindle Overall Paid Sales #19, 9/28/16; USA-Today, October 2016.
