Books like 'Tough Customer'
Readers who enjoyed Tough Customer by Sandra Brown also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary suspense mystery cruel hero other-man-woman cheating
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Death Rocks by L.J. Ross
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsTHERE’S NO SUCH THING AS A COINCIDENCE... When the body of a talented photographer is found on the rocks beneath the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle, DCI Ryan and his team of detectives immediately suspect the worst. But, since none of their potential suspects seems to have a motive, the case runs cold... -
Swamp Spook by Jana Deleon
Rated: 4.65 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsWhen black cats roam, and spooks are seen, Come celebrate, it’s Halloween. Sinful, Louisiana, really knows how to throw a party, and it goes all out for Halloween. The weeklong celebration kicks off with a maze of horror in the park built of hay bales. And Fortune has the perfect assignment—the executioner... -
Echo Road by Kendra Elliot, Melinda Leigh
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsWhen two cross-country cases collide, Bree Taggert and Mercy Kilpatrick join forces to catch a serial killer in an addictive novel of suspense by bestselling authors Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot.During a vicious heat wave, a county maintenance worker stumbles upon two suspicious suitcases abandoned by the side of the road... -
Fatal Fraud by Marie Force
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsPreviously title Fatal VengeanceA dangerous truth revealed... A prominent member of the D.C. community has been murdered, pulling Lieutenant Sam Holland into yet another high-stakes homicide investigation that has her trying to connect the dots between a dead woman and the friends and family who’d turned against her right before her untimely death... -
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State of Shock by Marie Force
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsThey never saw this coming… Hold on to your hat for the next First Family book, coming December 20, 2022... -
Fortune Funhouse by Jana Deleon
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsThe traveling carnival has made its stop in Sinful and everyone is ready for thrilling rides, challenging games, and most importantly, funnel cake. But when a man is murdered in the funhouse and Emmaline LeBlanc is knocked unconscious so the killer can escape, the good times are over... -
Running to You by Robin Patchen
Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsSam never understood why Eliza left him five years ago, ghosting him without explanation. He’s avoided romance ever since, focusing on building his business. Money might not keep him warm at night, but it can sure buy a lot of blankets. Then Eliza shows up on his doorstep and throws herself into his arms... -
Swamp Sweets by Jana Deleon
Rated: 4.59 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsIt’s November in Sinful and everyone is gearing up for Thanksgiving. But when Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie bag a body on their turkey hunting trip, the quiet enjoyment of fall is over. No one really knew Miles Broussard well, and as he’d recently sold the building his business was in to retire in another state, no one could explain how he’d ended up murdered and dumped in the bayou... -
State of Suspense by Marie Force
Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsA high-profile murder has Sam and her team chasing an elusive killer…Just back from their anniversary trip to Dewey Beach, there’s no slow roll back to work for the first couple as Sam is immediately thrust into a baffling new case that has everyone on edge. The FBI wants in on this one, and she’s determined to figure out what happened before they can take over her investigation... -
On Her Watch by Melinda Leigh
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsSheriff Bree Taggert becomes a target when she follows the twisting trail of a serial killer in a bone-chilling novel of suspense by #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh.A pair of hikers find a tarp-wrapped body in a clearing in the woods. When a search in the surrounding area yields two more, Sheriff Bree Taggert knows they’ve stumbled onto a serial killer’s dumping ground... -
Bullets and Beads by Jana Deleon
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsLet the good times roll? It’s Mardi Gras time and Fortune is looking forward to seeing the spectacle firsthand, but when a visitor to Sinful is murdered during the celebration there, Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie can’t help but wonder what happened... -
State of Denial by Marie Force
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsDenial: refusing to admit the truth or reality of something unpleasant… His mother has been arrested, his government is under new threat, the relentless media is driving him mad, and denial becomes the word of the day for President Nick Cappuano. Meanwhile, his wife, DC Metro Police Lt. Sam Holland Cappuano has caught a big new case with suspects everywhere she looks... -
Cuthbert's Way: A DCI Ryan Mystery by L.J. Ross
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsA SECRET KEPT FOR A THOUSAND YEARS...After the dramatic theft of a priceless artefact from Durham Cathedral, the rest of the world believes that DCI Ryan and his team were able to recover and return St. Cuthbert’s cross to its rightful home... -
State of the Union by Marie Force
Rated: 4.66 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsIt’s the biggest night of President Nick Cappuano’s life. Will his first lady make it to the Capitol in time for his speech?President Cappuano has been working for months on his first State of the Union address, his highest profile moment yet as the country’s new president... -
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A Merciful Promise by Kendra Elliot
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsThe Wall Street Journal bestselling series continues as Mercy Kilpatrick becomes embedded in the nightmare of a terrorist conspiracy. The job: infiltrate a militia amassing illegal firearms in an isolated forest community. FBI agent Mercy Kilpatrick is the ideal candidate. She knows Oregon. She’s near the compound... -
The Girl in the Moss by Loreth Anne White
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsA shallow grave exposes deadly secrets as bestselling author Loreth Anne White brings her thrilling series of romantic suspense to its shocking conclusion… Disgraced ex-cop Angie Pallorino is determined to make a new start for herself as a private investigator... -
At the River by Kendra Elliot
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsA Wall Street Journal bestselling series.The mystery of three missing teens and a traumatizing murder unearths decades of buried secrets in a shocking novel of suspense by a Wall Street Journal and Amazon Charts bestselling author.Twenty years ago, five teenage campers disappeared. Two eventually turned up, bound and left for dead on the Columbia River’s rocky shore... -
Breathe Your Last by Lisa Regan
Rated: 4.51 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsJosie presses her hands into the center of the drowned girl’s chest and pumps, counting off compressions. She takes in the girl’s beautiful face, her brown eyes glassy. The memory of a champion swimmer on the podium with her teammates—a red swim cap on, her head thrown back in laughter—a stark contrast to the cold, still body before her. Breathe. Just breathe.. -
Bamburgh by L.J. Ross
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsWhen a cantankerous old woman dies at her home in the sleepy, picturesque village of Bamburgh, DCI Ryan doesn’t think much of it—except, that is, for the small matter of it having been his wife who happened to find her body... -
A Christmas Wedding at the Castle by Eliza J. Scott
Rated: 4.59 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsDo you believe in fate? Livvie Weatherill does…This time last year, if anyone had told Livvie Weatherill she’d have fallen in love and would be making plans for her Christmas wedding to Zander Gillespie, she would have laughed in their face... -
A Merciful Fate by Kendra Elliot
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsRaised by preppers, survivalist and FBI agent Mercy Kilpatrick has a deep-rooted need for a safe place. Her getaway in the Cascade Foothills is her secret. But when skeletal remains are unearthed—those of a murdered man linked to a notorious heist—Mercy realizes she isn’t the only one with something to hide. Thirty years ago, an armored-car robbery turned deadly. The mastermind was captured... -
Fatal Threat by Marie Force
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsWith a killer on the loose, it's the worst time to be on lockdown… It's just another day at the office for Washington Metro Police lieutenant Sam Holland when a body surfaces off the shores of the Anacostia River. But before Sam can sink her teeth into the new case, Secret Service agents seize her from the crime scene... -
Fatal Reckoning by Marie Force
Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsWhen tragedy strikes, a cold case suddenly turns hot—and deadly A peaceful morning is shattered when Washington Metro Police lieutenant Sam Holland’s beloved father succumbs to injuries from an unsolved shooting while on duty four years ago... -
Long Gone by Denise Grover Swank
Rated: 4.66 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsWelcome to Lone County, Arkansas, where every corner holds a secret, and the past is never really buried.Disgraced ex-detective Harper Adams has traded her badge for a desk job at her father's law firm, a move as dull as the small town she's returned to. But things take a turn when a local woman wants to declare her missing husband dead, five years after his mysterious disappearance... -
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Fortune Furlough by Jana Deleon
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsIt’s not a vacation until there’s a murder. Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie are finally off to Florida on the vacation they’ve always talked about. Days filled with white sand, turquoise water, and fruity drinks are the only thing on the agenda... -
Gone Too Far by Debra Webb
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsThis second entry in USA Today bestselling author Debra Webb’s Devlin & Falco series proves that sometimes the past is best left forgotten.As veteran detectives of the Birmingham Police Department, Kerri Devlin and Luke Falco have seen it all. So when the city’s new hotshot deputy district attorney turns up dead as part of a double homicide, the partners immediately get to work... -
Frightfully Fortune by Jana Deleon
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsRest when you’re dead?It’s time for the annual Halloween festival in Sinful, and Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie can’t wait to suit up and enjoy the food and activities. But when a dead man gallops through the park on a black stallion and slides to a decapitated stop right in front of Swamp Team 3, they know another festival is about to be turned on its head…so to speak... -
Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich
Fugitive Apprehension Agent Stephanie Plum has a big problem on her hands: Seven-year-old Annie Soder and her mother, Evelyn, have disappeared. Evelyn's estranged husband, Steven, a shady owner of a seedy bar, is not at all happy. During the divorce proceedings, he and Evelyn signed a child custody bond, and Steven is demanding the money guaranteed by the bond to find Annie...Categorized as:
suspense mystery other-man-woman contemporary heroine sleuth love triangle open-door length-medium -
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
A REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK“Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall is an unforgettable story of love, loss, and the choices that shape our lives…but it’s also a masterfully crafted mystery that will keep you guessing until the very last page. Seriously, that ending?! I did not see it coming.” —Reese Witherspoon“Stirring and mysterious…fires directly at the human heart and hits the mark...Categorized as:
mystery suspense other-man-woman historical contemporary love triangle length-medium open-door -
Shock and Awesome by Camilla Chafer
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsWhen a thief who preys on the super rich women of a high-end dating website turns up in Montgomery, it’s up to Private Investigator, Lexi Graves, to lure him out before he goes to ground. To make matters worse, he's evaded capture numerous times, and this might be the last chance to catch him before he retires altogether from the high stakes game...Categorized as:
suspense mystery other-man-woman contemporary love triangle strong heroine length-medium -
Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 87 ratingsStephanie Plum is thinking her career as a fugitive apprehension agent has run its course. She's been shot at, spat at, cussed at, fire-bombed, mooned, and attacked by dogs. Stephanie thinks it's time for a change. So she quits. She wants something safe and normal. But the kind of trouble she had at the bail bonds office can't compare to the kind of trouble she finds herself facing now..Categorized as:
suspense mystery other-man-woman contemporary heroine sleuth love triangle humor length-medium -
Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich
"I'm Stephanie Plum. My mother says that I'm famous and have to set a good example. She's right, but I'm from Jersey and truth is, I have a hard time getting a grip on the good example thing." Swing off the Jersey Turnpike and you'll be in bounty hunter Stephanie Plum's neighborhood. You'll know it because all hell will be breaking loose...Categorized as:
suspense mystery other-man-woman contemporary heroine sleuth love triangle open-door length-medium -
Commitment by Nia Forrester
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt was obvious to everyone but them they were all wrong for each other. Riley is a free-spirited boho writer and Shawn is a magnetic and charismatic rapper, riding the highest crest of his career. She doesn't understand his world and he sure as hell doesn't understand hers. And what's worse, while he's never committed to any woman before, she's committed to someone else...Categorized as:
cheating cruel hero other-man-woman contemporary love triangle angst independent heroine betrayal -
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When Never Comes by Barbara Davis
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 46 ratingsAuthor Barbara Davis deftly explores an emotionally charged landscape of pain, loss, and despair—and the risk one woman will take in the hope of loving again.As a teenage runaway and child of an addict, Christy-Lynn learned the hard way that no address was permanent, and no promise sacred... -
Stealing Chances by Molly McAdams
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWhat would you do if you woke up to a different life?Because that’s what happened to me.Woke up in a hospital bed with my family and friends telling me everything I knew was nothing more than a coma-induced dream.The girl I love. The baby we’re having . . . all of it ripped away.In their place is a house I don’t recognize and a girl I’ve never seen before who’s claiming she’s my fiancée... -
Carson's Choice: A SEALs of Honor World Novel (SEALs of Honor) by Dale Mayer
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCarson is pleasantly surprised by the job Levi assigns him, until Carson hears all the details. An elderly friend of Ice’s believes someone is out to kill her. But she has no proof, no suspects, no motives. The police think she’s imagining things and won’t look into the case any further. However, after meeting this lady … and her granddaughter, Carson has his own suspicions...Categorized as:
mystery cheating suspense other-man-woman contemporary military from hate to love length-short -
Find Me by Tiffany Snow
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAs the head of the government’s secret Vigilance spy program, computer guru China Mack already has her hands full when her billionaire boyfriend, Jackson Cooper, asks for one of them in marriage. Thrown for a loop by the sudden proposal, China’s usually well-ordered life takes another hit when someone tries to assassinate the president...Categorized as:
suspense mystery other-man-woman contemporary love triangle competent heroine length-medium -
And I Love You the Most by W. Winters
An epic tale of both betrayal and all-consuming love...Marcus, the villain.Cody Walsh, the FBI agent who knows too much.And Delilah, the lawyer caught in between.This is the third and final book in the This Love Hurts trilogy... -
The Only Reason by Donna Schwartze
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA slow burn Navy SEAL romance. Millie Marsh is a fiercely independent CIA agent. Mason Davis is a headstrong Navy SEAL. Join them for this second chapter of their story. When Millie takes the final step toward the answers she craves, will she be forced to choose between her head and her heart?“This sequel absolutely exceeded expectations... -
The Parting Glass by Josh Lanyon
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsTwo and a half years ago, travel writer Timothy McShay let NYPD Detective Luke O'Brien talk him into hiking into the New Jersey Pine Barrens to face down a monster. Now Tim and Luke meet again under very different circumstances. The old attraction is still there -- but so are some of Tim's monsters...Categorized as:
cheating mystery other-man-woman contemporary men in uniform m-m queer length-novella -
The Buried Hours: A Novel by R.S. Grant
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsIs she following a path of redemption or an enemy’s revenge? A crime reporter’s traumatic past comes back to haunt her in a twisting novel of lies, betrayals, and killer secrets.Investigative crime journalist Signe Gates’s life became a nightmare the day she was kidnapped and drugged... -
The Dying Game by Beverly Barton
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsPlay To Win... It's the ultimate game--the adrenaline surge of the hunt, the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat. For in this game, the rules are simple: To win, you only have to kill. To lose, you will have to die... Play To Scream... The victims are former beauty queens found with a single rose beside their bodies... -
Break Me by Tiffany Snow
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsJust a few weeks ago, computer prodigy China Mack’s typical night in involved Endor Star Wars pajamas and a sensible bedtime. Now she’s dating gorgeous tech guru Jackson Cooper—one of Forbes’s Top Ten Eligible Billionaires—much to the Twitterverse’s delight. Turns out, going from socially inept hermit to poster girl for geek chic has its challenges... -
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Playing Dirty by Tiffany Snow
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsDOWN AND DIRTY Faced with a choice between bad-boy detective Dean Ryker and sexy power player Parker Anderson, Sage Reece fought the law--and the law won. But while Ryker's sizzling touch may rule her nights, Sage's days belong to Parker's cool, calculating intensity. . . . Both Ryker and Parker are determined to protect Sage from a brutal enemy who'd use her to pay for their mistakes...Categorized as:
suspense cheating other-man-woman contemporary mafia love triangle forbidden love length-medium -
A Family Affair by Robyn Carr
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsLife’s biggest dilemmas can provide its sweetest rewards.Anna McNichol knows how to take charge. Raised by a single mother, she’s worked to ensure her three children have every advantage she didn’t. And while her marriage has its problems, she values commitment and believes in "till death do us part"...Categorized as:
mystery cheating other-man-woman contemporary new adult death love triangle length-medium -
Tempting The Biker by Glenna Maynard
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsHe's married and twice my age, but I can't walk away.Murder-We were never supposed to happen. Alexa’s my daughter’s best friend. I’m a married man. I’m too old for her, but stolen glances turn into more than either of us are prepared for. I’ve made promises I can’t keep. I’m the Prez of Royal Bastards MC. I’m not supposed to be tempted by her innocence... -
Black Oak Burning by Monique Edenwood
Cameron’s relentless craving for me never seemed to end, even when it seemed that he may end up claiming his victory over Jack.The irresistible odyssey into his dark dreams of domination thrilled me to my very core, breaking some of the chains holding me to Jack and setting my soul on fire with the fervor of relentless lust and unspeakable threats of ecstasy... -
The Cleaner by Kiersten Modglin
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsGunner James is good at death. An expert.His job is to clean up the messes no one else can.But behind that tough exterior, Gunner has a few secrets of his own.Eight years ago, Gunner left his hometown and vowed to never look back. When his past collides with his present in the form of a familiar face, Gunner must return home to take care of one final mess...the woman he left behind...Categorized as:
suspense cheating other-man-woman friends to lovers contemporary betrayal length-medium -
Finding Amanda by Robin Patchen
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAn award-winning novel with brand-new bonus content…Amanda Johnson hopes that publishing her memoir will finally bring justice to the psychiatrist who abused her as a teenager and heal the wounds that have long festered. But her estranged husband, Mark, is determined to talk her out of exposing her traumatic past...
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