Books like 'Bad Mother'
Readers who enjoyed Bad Mother by Mia Sheridan also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary dark romance mystery suspense abduction second chances forced proximity vengeance independent heroine competent heroine
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Lie To Her by Melinda Leigh
Lies from the heart lead to a dangerously intimate case for Sheriff Bree Taggert in #1 Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh’s novel of revenge and fatal deceptions.When a digital marketer is found murdered in his backyard—hands bound and face smothered by plastic wrap—Sheriff Bree Taggert and criminal investigator Matt Flynn respond to the call... -
The Body Keeper by Anne Frasier
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsThe Thriller Award–winning series continues as Detective Jude Fontaine finds a decades-old connection to missing children that will freeze her blood.A boy’s frozen body is found trapped in the ice of a Minneapolis lake. The horrifying discovery leads Detective Jude Fontaine and her partner, Uriah Ashby, to more bodies in the ice, all of twelve-year-old boys missing for twenty years...Categorized as:
mystery suspense strong heroine heroine sleuth contemporary dark abuse length-medium -
Can't Go Back by Debra Webb
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsThe past and the present collide in the final installment of USA Today bestselling author Debra Webb’s Devlin & Falco series, threatening everything these two detectives care about.Birmingham detectives Kerri Devlin and Luke Falco arrive at the scene of a double homicide to discover that nothing makes sense... -
Heartbreak Bay by Rachel Caine
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsThey’re hunting a killer so silent, so invisible, that his unspeakable crimes are the only proof he exists.A car submerged in a remote pond. The bodies of two girls strapped into their seats. The mystery of their mother, vanished without a trace, leads Gwen Proctor and Kezia Claremont into dangerous territory... -
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Little Girl Vanished by Denise Grover Swank
Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsDisgraced, ex-detective Harper Adams is perfectly content wallowing at rock bottom. She’s lost her job, house, and reputation, and it only gets worse when she’s forced to move back home to Jackson Creek, Arkansas, the one place she swore she’d never return. But everything changes when she gets chilling news... -
The Ghostwriter by Alessandra Torre
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsI have three months to write the last book of my life. Three months to confess the details of that day, and how it changed everything for me. My name is Helena Ross. I’ve written fifteen romance novels, ten of which have become international bestsellers. But this one isn't a romance, no Happily Ever After in place. This novel holds only the truth, which I have run away from for four years...Categorized as:
mystery suspense competent heroine dark contemporary tearjerkers rich heroine length-medium -
Seeds of Iniquity by J.A. Redmerski
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsVictor Faust’s new Order is growing. Business is good as there is no rest for the wicked in an underground world of hardcore criminals and contract killing. Relationships among the operatives have changed little over the past year—but things are about to change now, and all six high-ranking members of the new Order will be blindsided by an unlikely enemy... -
Killman Creek by Rachel Caine
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 59 ratingsEvery time Gwen closed her eyes, she saw him in her nightmares. Now her eyes are open, and he’s not going away.Gwen Proctor won the battle to save her kids from her ex-husband, serial killer Melvin Royal, and his league of psychotic accomplices. But the war isn’t over. Not since Melvin broke out of prison. Not since she received a chilling text…You’re not safe anywhere now... -
The Dark Bones by Loreth Anne White
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsShe’s come back to solve the mystery of her father’s death and confront her own dark past. When Detective Rebecca North left her rural hometown, she vowed never to return. Her father’s apparent suicide has changed that. The official report is that retired cop Noah North shot himself, knocked over a lantern, and set his isolated cabin ablaze. But Rebecca cannot believe he killed himself... -
Beneath Dark Waters by Karen Rose
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsDeadly secrets lie beneath the murky waters of the Louisiana bayou in this pulse-pounding new romantic suspense novel from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Karen Rose. There's no safe place for a child to hide when danger comes from every direction. Public prosecutor J.P... -
Away from the Dark by Aleatha Romig
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsNine months ago, Sara Adams awoke with no memory. The man holding her hand told her she’s a member of The Light, a tight-knit religious group led by the terrifying and charismatic Father Gabriel. As a woman in the community of The Light, her duty is to be unquestionably obedient and to submit to the will of her husband... -
Edge of Darkness by Karen Rose
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThe fourth and final book in Karen Rose's nail-biting Cincinnati Series revisits your favourite characters battling crime in the city's dark underbelly. Fans of Tess Gerritsen, James Patterson and Karin Slaughter will not be able to tear themselves away from this explosive thriller. Homicide detective Adam Kimble is no stranger to battling demons...Categorized as:
suspense mystery second chances contemporary abuse dark friends to lovers length-epic -
Extreme Risk by Jane Blythe
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsCan she accept an offer of help from a patient she’s attracted to?Dr. Piper Hamilton is used to keeping on the fringes. She knows what it's like to be responsible for the death of someone you love and she'd do anything to protect herself from feeling that pain again... -
The Body Counter by Anne Frasier
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsFrom a New York Times bestselling author comes the chilling follow-up to the Thriller Award winner The Body Reader. Months after discovering the mastermind behind her own kidnapping, Detective Jude Fontaine is dealing with the past the only way she knows how: by returning to every dark corner of it... -
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Closer Than You Think by Karen Rose
From the New York Times bestselling author of Watch Your Back and Did You Miss Me comes the newest novel by “the queen of romantic suspense” (Crime and Punishment). Psychologist Faith Corcoran is desperate to escape the stalker who’s made her life a nightmare for the past year—desperate enough to run to the one place that has been her nightmare far longer... -
Murder Girl by Lisa Renee Jones
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsNew York Times bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones returns with the second book in her electrifying series featuring Lilah Love, an FBI profiler who doesn’t fight her dark side—she embraces it. It’s Lilah Love’s job to inhabit a killer’s mind. The unapologetically tough FBI profiler is very comfortable there. But her latest case is making her head spin... -
Never Look Back by Mary Burton
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsExpect the unexpected in this gritty, tense, and page-turning mystery from New York Times bestselling author Mary Burton.After multiple women go missing, Agent Melina Shepard of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation makes the impulsive decision to go undercover as a prostitute... -
Cold Silence by Toni Anderson
Read the next edge-of-your-seat Romantic Thriller from New York Times bestselling author, Toni Anderson.FBI Hostage Rescue Team member Shane Livingstone is frustrated when an injury sidelines him during an operation to catch a sadistic killer. A killer who auctions off vicious ways to torture his victims and screens the events for money on the dark web...Categorized as:
suspense mystery heroine sleuth contemporary dark military length-medium explicit-open-door -
A Dark Lure by Loreth Anne White
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsTwelve years ago, Sarah Baker was abducted by the Watt Lake Killer and sexually assaulted for months before managing to escape. The killer was caught, but Sarah lost everything: her marriage, her child, and the life she loved. Struggling with PTSD, Sarah changes her name to Olivia West and finds sanctuary working on Broken Bar Ranch...Categorized as:
suspense mystery abduction independent heroine possessive hero contemporary dark abuse -
Pearl by Freya Barker
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsa privately-funded organization operating independently in the search for-and the rescue and recovery of-missing and exploited children. Although at times working in conjunction with law enforcement, GEM aims to ensure the victims receive justice...by whatever means necessary.____Operator Pearl; layered, mysterious, a protector. She masks as delicate, analyzes, and moves stealthily...Categorized as:
suspense forced proximity mystery from hate to love abuse dark multicultural contemporary -
The Drowned Girls by Loreth Anne White
He surfaced two years ago. Then he disappeared ... But Detective Angie Pallorino never forgot the violent rapist who left a distinctive calling card—crosses etched into the flesh of his victim’s foreheads. When a comatose Jane Doe is found in a local cemetery, sexually assaulted, mutilated, and nearly drowned, Angie is struck by the eerie similarities to her earlier unsolved rapes...Categorized as:
heroine sleuth mystery suspense independent heroine dark contemporary office open-door -
Oath of Possession by Jane Henry
Vivia Montavio is a traitor, and it’s my job to see to her punishment and interrogation. What a tragedy. She’s the hottest little number I’ve ever seen with that defiant little chin and eyes that spark with wit and boldness. I love a good challenge. We’re left with little choice when the truth outs. So I take her far, far away to La Cabina, a rustic cabin in the middle of nowhere...Categorized as:
suspense mystery abduction vengeance strong heroine contemporary mafia age difference -
A Dark Mind by T.R. Ragan
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsA serial killer is terrorizing Sacramento, preying on happily married couples and unleashing unspeakable cruelties upon his victims. The ordeal rekindles disturbing memories for private investigator Lizzy Gardner, who barely escaped a serial killer clutches only years ago... -
Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 91 ratingsGina Royal is the definition of average—a shy Midwestern housewife with a happy marriage and two adorable children. But when a car accident reveals her husband’s secret life as a serial killer, she must remake herself as Gwen Proctor—the ultimate warrior mom.With her ex now in prison, Gwen has finally found refuge in a new home on remote Stillhouse Lake... -
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Find Her by Lisa Gardner
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 53 ratings* This is an updated cover of this Kindle edition. *Lisa Gardner's runaway New York Times bestseller—a fast-paced thrill ride featuring Detective D. D. Warren.Seven years ago, carefree college student Flora Dane was kidnapped while on spring break. For 472 days, Flora learned just how much one person can endure... -
Layered Lies by Kaylie Hunter
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsTwo years after her son was abducted, Kelsey Harrison rebuilds a new life for herself. She opens a store, makes new friends, and settles into a peaceful existence. At least, that’s what she hopes the world believes.Behind closed doors, Kelsey hunts her enemies, living a life of lies. She hasn’t forgotten, hasn’t forgiven. She searches for answers still... -
Blindsighted by Karin Slaughter
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 63 ratingsA small Georgia town erupts in panic when a young college professor is found brutally mutilated in the local diner. But it's only when town pediatrician and coroner Sara Linton does the autopsy that the full extent of the killer's twisted work becomes clear... -
Illicit Captor by Maggie Cole
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsHe kidnapped me to avenge my husband. The husband I’ve never loved. The cruel man my father forced me to marry to teach me a lesson. My husband didn’t think twice about how to carry out those lessons. Now, I’ve gone from one prison to another. My captor is just as ruthless as my husband. He’ll kill, torture, and do everything to hurt my family until no one is left. Except for me...Categorized as:
suspense forced proximity vengeance mafia dark alpha male contemporary from hate to love -
Into the Blackness by Norma Jeanne Karlsson
Cease being everything you’re trained to be in order to find who you’re meant to be…with. Nick Cooper is many things in life. He’s a vicious enforcer for a crime family. He’s a monster that tortures with a smirk tattooed on his lips. He’s an olive-skinned god, mysterious and captivating. He’s the best undercover field agent in the Domestic Crime Agency. He’s my partner for the next year... -
Before You Knew Me: An opposites attract romantic suspense novel by MaryAnn Clarke
Rated: 4.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSometimes moving into a new future requires letting go of the past. If two clashing agents of change can change they way they see each other – they might just change the world for good, and build a beautiful future together. Attorney Sharon Beckett worked hard to lift her life out of the gutter...Categorized as:
suspense strong heroine working class hero mystery forced proximity sweet-hero contemporary office -
Cold Deceit by Toni Anderson
A tenacious forensic anthropologist needs protection from an elite FBI HRT operator as they search for a ruthless killer in this Romantic Thriller by New York Times bestselling author Toni Anderson.When forensic anthropologist Zoe Miller stumbles across a murder victim in the blisteringly hostile Sonoran Desert, she triggers a chain of events that puts her in the crosshairs of a ruthless killer...Categorized as:
forced proximity suspense mystery heroine sleuth contemporary military dark length-medium -
The Last Party by A.R. Torre
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsA loving mother. A notorious murderer. They both have reasons to hide their secrets in a novel of escalating shock and suspense by New York Times bestselling author A. R. Torre.Perla Wultz lives with her husband, Grant, and their precious daughter, Sophie, in a gated Pasadena community. Affluent, sociable, and accomplished, Perla plays the part of loving wife and mother to perfection... -
Fixate by K.E. Osborn
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsShe’s a part of me.Even though I don’t know her name.The woman I’ve been exchanging letters with and developed feelings for over the past five years. But I can’t help feeling torn in two when I’m suddenly pulled toward another. Maxxy, the club’s horticulturalist, is strong, sassy, and she gives me so much lip the aggravation is exasperating.She infuriates me. She ignites me...Categorized as:
suspense mystery forced proximity second chances friends to lovers angst alpha male bikers -
Texas Bodyguard: Chance by Janie Crouch
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsShe has secrets she prefers to keep hidden.Too bad he’s so good at getting to the truth.When a violent attack puts Maci Ford in the hospital, security expert Chance Patterson learns that she’s carrying his baby. Even though she ended their relationship, he’s determined to do whatever it takes to protect her and their child... -
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Opal by Freya Barker
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsGEM: A PRIVATELY-FUNDED ORGANIZATION OPERATING INDEPENDENTLY IN THE SEARCH FOR—AND THE RESCUE AND RECOVERY OF—MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN. ALTHOUGH, AT TIMES WORKING IN CONJUNCTION WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT, GEM AIMS TO ENSURE THE VICTIMS RECEIVE JUSTICE…BY WHATEVER MEANS NECESSARY. ____GEM Operator Opal; multifaceted, versatile, a chameleon.She hides in plain sight, adapts, and infiltrates...Categorized as:
suspense mystery forced proximity single-father dark mature couple contemporary length-medium -
Last Resort by Janie Crouch
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom USA TODAY Bestselling Author Janie Crouch. Previously published as Texas ChanceShe has secrets she prefers to keep hidden.Too bad he’s so good at getting to the truth.When a violent attack puts Maci Ford in the hospital, security expert Chance Patterson learns that she’s carrying his baby... -
The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsThe latest installment in the highly acclaimed, internationally bestselling Strike series finds Cormoran and Robin ensnared in another winding, wicked case.When frantic, dishevelled Edie Ledwell appears in the office begging to speak to her, private detective Robin Ellacott doesn't know quite what to make of the situation... -
Taken by Him by S.R. Jones
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsHe took me like a thief in the night, but I was already his from the moment I laid eyes on him. Maxim Volkov. A name I had never heard before but one that my heart now beats for.He’s not an easy man to love. He’s hard. Brutal. Unforgiving. A weapon forged in the fire and pain of his early life. I will take that weapon and use it to bring down all who betrayed me...Categorized as:
vengeance forced proximity suspense mafia contemporary dark super rich hero bad boys -
I'm Watching You by Karen Rose
I Know Their Crimes. Star prosecutor Kristen Mayhew has a dangerous secret admirer. He seems to know her every thought, her every move. He sends her letters. And he kills the criminals she herself is powerless to stop. I Hunt Down the Guilty... -
Kisscut by Karin Slaughter
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 50 ratingsSaturday night dates at the skating rink have been a tradition in the small southern town of Heartsdale for as long as anyone can remember, but when a teenage quarrel explodes into a deadly shoot-out, Sara Linton--the town's pediatrician and medical examiner--finds herself entangled in a terrible tragedy... -
Wishing Well by Lily White
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe perfect timing of a fairy tale is tied to its tragedy… Journalist, Meadow Graham, is invited to interview death row inmate, Vincent Mercier. Given three days to hear his sordid confession, Meadow seeks to learn why a wealthy hotel owner killed four people, including her twin sister... -
Vengeful Hearts by S. Lexi
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsErika grew up on the streets of New York City. When her baby sister got kidnapped by the most extensive human trafficking ring in the area and eventually murdered, she swore to avenge her death. Blaise grew up in the Italian Mafia; his father was the don...Categorized as:
suspense vengeance strong heroine contemporary from hate to love mafia dark length-long -
Vengeful Hearts by S. Lexi
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsErika grew up on the streets of New York City. When her baby sister got kidnapped by the most extensive human trafficking ring in the area and eventually murdered, she swore to avenge her death.Blaise grew up in the Italian Mafia; his father was the don...Categorized as:
suspense vengeance strong heroine mafia contemporary from hate to love dark length-long -
Imperfect Affections by Charmaine Pauls
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen Leon tries to force Violet into marriage, it's war for both of them. The battle is hot and dirty, and no one walks away without scars.A DARK ROMANCELove is for people who don’t mind getting hurt. I vowed to never fall into that trap. I entered into war with my beautiful, corrupted, and dangerous husband. He warned me he always won...Categorized as:
suspense mystery strong heroine second chances vengeance forced proximity dark arranged marriage -
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Gabby's Protector by Janie Crouch, Regan Black
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAfter a heart-shattering tragedy, Tony Marino bottled up his emotions and gave more than twenty hard years to the SEAL teams. Now, he’s enjoying a later in life career in paradise in the Ellington Cove special security office.The best part? Working with their research expert, Gabby Ladd... -
The Party is Over by Lisa Renee Jones
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsSometimes a girl just has to get stabby...Lilah has sworn she's done with that side of her personality.Then again, maybe not... -
Undone by Cat Clarke
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsJem Halliday is in love with her gay best friend. Not exactly ideal, but she's learning to live with it. Then the unspeakable happens. Kai is outed online ... and he kills himself. Jem knows nothing she can say or do will bring him back. But she wants to know who was responsible. And she wants to take them down. A searing story of love, revenge and betrayal from a bestselling author... -
Shadow Man by Cody McFadyen
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsOnce, Special Agent Smoky Barrett hunted serial killers for the FBI. She was one of the best–until a madman terrorized her family, killed her husband and daughter, and left her face scarred and her soul brutalized. Turning the tables on the killer, Smoky shot him dead–but her life was shattered forever. Now Smoky dreams about picking up her weapon again... -
False Hope by Meli Raine
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsShe thinks she’s fooled me. But I’ve known all along.Almost.Lily is hiding something, a secret so big, she came out of a year-long coma and her first instinct was to lie.Who does that? Someone who is afraid. No—not afraid.Terrified. And it’s my job to take that fear away.My partner and I have spent countless man-hours hunting down the cold-blooded killer who did this to her... -
The Buried Hours by R.S. Grant
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 18 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...
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