Here are 49 books that Black Water fans have personally recommended if you like Black Water. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Carrots

Cat Gilbert Author Of Brain Storm

From my list on thrillers and mysteries with psychic twists.

Why am I passionate about this?

My grandmother had what we in the South call the sight. I have it as well—that sense of foreboding. Of knowing what will happen next. Some call it a premonition, others Deja vu. Whatever you call it, I think it’s something we’ve all experienced at some point in our lives. Empathy, telepathy, telekinesis…the list is endless. There’s no proof that psychic abilities exist, but there’s no proof that they don’t, either. I find the concept fascinating, so when I started writing, it was a natural fit for me to combine my love for thrillers and mysteries with the added twist of psychic ability. I hope you love it too.

Cat's book list on thrillers and mysteries with psychic twists

Cat Gilbert Why Cat loves this book

As much as I love complex, dark protagonists, I adore a lighter side now and then. I found it in this book with the main character, Shelby Nichols. She just makes me laugh.

I even found myself reading sections out loud to my husband, who laughed right along with me. Shelby is a wife and mother, and after being shot in the head, she develops the ability to read people’s minds. Her sudden awareness of what her teenage children and husband are thinking takes the plot up to a whole new level.

This is one ability I’m glad I don’t have. I think I’d rather not know.

By Colleen Helme ,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Carrots as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A mind-reader, a mob-boss, and a hit-man. What could go wrong? More fun than you can imagine! Book 1 in the Shelby Nichols Adventure Series

"One of the best and rarest gems of the indie book market."~ Matthew LeDrew

USA TODAY and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Colleen Helme offers a clever mix of mystery, laugh-out-loud humor, and page-turning adventure in the highly acclaimed Shelby Nichols Adventure Series.

Stopping at the grocery store for some carrots shouldn't be dangerous, but in Shelby's case, it changes her life forever. During a bank robbery, she is caught in the cross-fire and grazed…


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Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.

The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…

Book cover of Grave Sight

Cat Gilbert Author Of Brain Storm

From my list on thrillers and mysteries with psychic twists.

Why am I passionate about this?

My grandmother had what we in the South call the sight. I have it as well—that sense of foreboding. Of knowing what will happen next. Some call it a premonition, others Deja vu. Whatever you call it, I think it’s something we’ve all experienced at some point in our lives. Empathy, telepathy, telekinesis…the list is endless. There’s no proof that psychic abilities exist, but there’s no proof that they don’t, either. I find the concept fascinating, so when I started writing, it was a natural fit for me to combine my love for thrillers and mysteries with the added twist of psychic ability. I hope you love it too.

Cat's book list on thrillers and mysteries with psychic twists

Cat Gilbert Why Cat loves this book

I have to say it—Charlaine Harris can write a good story. I read all the Stackhouse books, but it was when I found her Harper Connelly series that I was truly hooked. This book has all the elements I love: a complex female protagonist, good supporting characters, and a unique psychic ability.

Combine all that with great writing, and it doesn’t get any better. I read this book and then quickly flew through the rest of the series. This was the first book I’d read featuring a psychic twist, and discovering this new genre opened the door to my writing journey.

By Charlaine Harris ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Grave Sight as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Harper Connelly had a lucky escape when she was hit by lightning: she didn't die. But sometimes she wishes she had died, because the lightning strike left her with an unusual talent: she can find dead people - and that's not always comfortable. Everyone wants to know how she does it: it's a little like hearing a bee droning inside her head, or maybe the pop of a Geiger counter, a persistent, irregular noise that increases in strength as she gets closer. It's almost electric: a buzzing all through her body, and the fresher the corpse, the more intense the…


Book cover of The Whispering Hollows

Cat Gilbert Author Of Brain Storm

From my list on thrillers and mysteries with psychic twists.

Why am I passionate about this?

My grandmother had what we in the South call the sight. I have it as well—that sense of foreboding. Of knowing what will happen next. Some call it a premonition, others Deja vu. Whatever you call it, I think it’s something we’ve all experienced at some point in our lives. Empathy, telepathy, telekinesis…the list is endless. There’s no proof that psychic abilities exist, but there’s no proof that they don’t, either. I find the concept fascinating, so when I started writing, it was a natural fit for me to combine my love for thrillers and mysteries with the added twist of psychic ability. I hope you love it too.

Cat's book list on thrillers and mysteries with psychic twists

Cat Gilbert Why Cat loves this book

Eloise Montgomery is my kind of protagonist. She survives a tragedy, suffers a great loss, and, waking up from a coma, finds herself with a new and frightening psychic ability. One that she puts to good use.

I like her grit and determination, along with her moments of doubt and despair. She’s human. A normal, everyday woman is thrust into a life she didn’t expect and is making the best of it—a situation I can identify with. Except for her psychic ability. That I don’t have, but how cool would that be?

By Lisa Unger ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Whispering Hollows as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger delivers a spellbinding novella, told in three parts, featuring reluctant psychic Eloise Montgomery. This in-depth exploration of Eloise is a perfect way for newcomers to be introduced to The Hollows, and experience the sense of place Unger is building that "rivals Stephen King's Castle Rock for continuity and creepiness." (The News & Observer - Raleigh)  It is also a treasure trove of insight and greater understanding of connections for those already drawn deep into The Hollows.  
Includes an author introduction to The Hollows, and an excerpt from the bestseller Ink and Bone--a chilling…


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Book cover of Trusting Her Duke

Trusting Her Duke by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke with rigid opinions, a Lady whose beliefs conflict with his, a long disputed parcel of land, a conniving neighbour, a desperate collaboration, a failure of trust, a love found despite it all.

Alexander Cavendish, Duke of Ravensworth, returned from war to find that his father and brother had…

Book cover of The Sense of Death: An Ann Kinnear Suspense Novel

Cat Gilbert Author Of Brain Storm

From my list on thrillers and mysteries with psychic twists.

Why am I passionate about this?

My grandmother had what we in the South call the sight. I have it as well—that sense of foreboding. Of knowing what will happen next. Some call it a premonition, others Deja vu. Whatever you call it, I think it’s something we’ve all experienced at some point in our lives. Empathy, telepathy, telekinesis…the list is endless. There’s no proof that psychic abilities exist, but there’s no proof that they don’t, either. I find the concept fascinating, so when I started writing, it was a natural fit for me to combine my love for thrillers and mysteries with the added twist of psychic ability. I hope you love it too.

Cat's book list on thrillers and mysteries with psychic twists

Cat Gilbert Why Cat loves this book

Loyalty. Love. Relationships. They are all essential elements in my favorite books, and nowhere are they more present than in this one.

Ann Kinnear, like my other favorite female psychics, is torn between doing what she feels she should and doing what she’d like to do—which is to hide behind closed doors. It’s the same dilemma I would have if I were gifted (or maybe it’s cursed) with an ability like Ann has.

As I had hoped, Ann chooses to make a difference, securing a spot as one of my favorite books.

By Matty Dalrymple ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Sense of Death as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The dead will not be silenced, and Ann will do whatever it takes to solve the case of one woman’s lost life … even if it means endangering her own.

“A frighteningly meticulous villain and a formidable protagonist will have readers breezing through the pages.” —Kirkus Reviews

★★★★★ “Airtight. Crucial plot details lock into place in the denouement like the tumblers of a Diebold safe. The characters are clever, real, and enjoyable, but also organic, their emotions genuinely wrought; there is no formula for brilliant writing like this.” —Robert Blake Whitehill, Bestselling Author of The Ben Blackshaw Series

When a…


Book cover of More Than Human

Carlos Valrand Author Of The Site

From my list on science fiction about investigations and discovery.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a writer, author of the science fiction novel The Site, and a contributor to the website Internet Looks. During my work as an aerospace engineer and manager I participated in NASA and Department of Defense projects such as the International Space Station, the Space Shuttle, the Strategic Defense Initiative, and the USAF C-5A aircraft. I authored various aerospace system functional requirements documents and technical papers, and developed and taught courses in dynamic simulations, aerodynamics, and space vehicle guidance, navigation, and control. When writing fiction, I use my technical background, understanding of physical principles, and documentation to provide clear and concise descriptions and dialog for the reader.

Carlos' book list on science fiction about investigations and discovery

Carlos Valrand Why Carlos loves this book

I have the 1971 paperback printing of More Than Human, with the Robert Pepper cover art. The book has a special significance for me; although unrelated in plot, it has similarities to my book: it is science fiction, has an unusual structure, a complex timeline, deals with psychology, and features investigation and discovery. The fact that it was written in 1953, before the Internet, Earth satellites, personal computers, and cell phones, facilitates the reader’s attention to the rather complex story. Seven individuals, Lone, Janie, twins Bonnie and Beanie, Baby, Gerry, and Hip, are exemplars of inequality, with peculiar capabilities and shortcomings. The German word gestalt, meaning the forming of a pattern, describes how, together, they embody the next step in human evolution.

By Theodore Sturgeon ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked More Than Human as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this genre-bending novel—among the first to have launched sci-fi into the arena of literature—one of the great imaginers of the twentieth century tells a story as mind-blowing as any controlled substance and as affecting as a glimpse into a stranger's soul. 

There's Lone, the simpleton who can hear other people's thoughts and make a man blow his brains out just by looking at him. There's Janie, who moves things without touching them, and there are the teleporting twins, who can travel ten feet or ten miles. There's Baby, who invented an antigravity engine while still in the cradle, and…


Book cover of Psychic Suburbia

Daniel Bourke Author Of Apparitions at the Moment of Death: The Living Ghost in Legend, Lyric, and Lore

From my list on supernatural and psychic experiences worldwide.

Why am I passionate about this?

I've always been fascinated by experiences that exist on the border of the ordinary. Growing up, my grandmother would tell us, in serious tones, of the fairies and ghosts she had encountered—how closely the natural and the “supernatural” are linked. In my twenties, I would read a lot about shamanism and the kinds of extraordinary experiences they would actively seek. Later, noticing similarities between those experiences and the spontaneous experiences of ordinary people, my interest continued to grow. Near-death experiences, out-of-body experiences, but especially crisis apparitions—these experiences spoke strongly to me about how little we still know of the nature of the mind and how much there is yet to discover!

Daniel's book list on supernatural and psychic experiences worldwide

Daniel Bourke Why Daniel loves this book

This one is a real hidden gem for someone like me who is so interested in spontaneous accounts of ESP. Eason offers dozens of extraordinary and fascinating accounts of telepathy, precognition, and clairvoyance collected from truly the most “ordinary people.” Concentrating her efforts on quiet housing estates, spooky suburbs, and their anonymous residents, this work shines in its compelling ordinariness.

The accounts, though, are anything but, and I love how the links are made between the stories collected and some of the oldest tales. Something that really came out for me in this work, too, is just how common the strangest experiences are and how the fact we don't share them is really why it can sometimes feel like the opposite is true. Can't recommend enough!

By Cassandra Eason ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Psychic Suburbia as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Fascinating psychic happenings and ordinary grass-roots experience, this book relates true stories of phantoms, poltergeists and spirit guides reliably reported from modern terraced homes and shopping streets. Telepathy, near-death experiences and out-of-body journeys are examined. Dedicated ghost hunters welcoming a fresh slant on their favourite topic will be intrigued by this book. But millions of suburb-dwellers everywhere will also be intrigued by the prospect of psychic events among the ordinary semis and settees. This title is an ideal blend of New Age spirituality and suburban common sense.


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Book cover of The Duke's Christmas Redemption

The Duke's Christmas Redemption by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke who has rejected love, a Lady who dreams of a love match, an arranged marriage, a house full of secrets, a most unneighborly neighbor, a plot to destroy reputations, an unexpected love that redeems it all.

Lady Charlotte Wyndham, given in an arranged marriage to a man she…

Book cover of The Complete John Silence Stories

William Meikle Author Of Carnacki: Heaven and Hell

From my list on occult detective collections.

Why am I passionate about this?

Even before I found Lovecraft and Stephen King and my world turned, I was raised on Doyle, Wells, Hodgson, and Robert Louis Stevenson which gave me both a love of the "gentleman detective" era and a deep love of the late Victorian/early Edwardian historical period in general. Once you merge that with my abiding interest in all things weird and spooky, you can see where a lot of my stories come from. There seems to be quite a burgeoning market for this kind of mixing of detection and supernatural, and I intend to write more... maybe even a lot more.

William's book list on occult detective collections

William Meikle Why William loves this book

Silence is much more cerebral than Carnacki, more prone to solve his mysteries from the comfort of his armchair over a pipe of tobacco. But don't let the leisurely pace fool you; Blackwood brings the chills like few others can, and you might find yourself looking over your shoulder more than once, or even getting up to put a stronger light on. If creeping dread is your thing, Blackwood's your man for it.

By Algernon Blackwood ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Complete John Silence Stories as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One of the former British writers of supernatural tales in the twentieth century, Algernon Blackwood (1869–1951) wrote stories in which the slow accumulation of telling details produced a foreboding atmosphere of almost unendurable tension. Blackwood's literary renown began in 1908 with the publication of a highly successful collection of stories, John Silence — Physician Extraordinary, featuring a "psychic doctor."
This volume contains all five of the John Silence stories from the 1908 edition plus one additional tale. Edited and with an informative introduction by S. T. Joshi, noted occult fiction authority, the stories include "A Psychical Invasion," in which Silence…


Book cover of Something I've Been Meaning to Tell You

Michelle Wildgen Author Of Wine People

From my list on complicated relationships between fascinating women.

Why am I passionate about this?

Maybe it’s because I come from a family that expresses conflict, shall we say, indirectly, but nothing fascinates me the way relationships do. What do we desire, what do we offer? And how much more do we care about friendships and family bonds than world peace? I also love stories about passions we pursue professionally, and ever since I fell in love with the food and wine world, that’s the world I’ve written about and the world in which my characters’ intense relationships play out. Real drama plays out over a drink or at a dinner table, and of course a glass of wine only unleashes a little more.

Michelle's book list on complicated relationships between fascinating women

Michelle Wildgen Why Michelle loves this book

What’s more fraught and intimate than friends? Sisters.   

Munro’s title story is about a relationship of extremes: sisters Char and Et can laugh over the darkest shit imaginable, and yet they also have certain psychic rooms they’ll never let the other into. Is this love or hostility? More happens in here than I can say, except that Char is the beautiful sister and Et the sharp-tongued, practical one, and an old flame returns and wreaks havoc.

It’s Munro, so there is sex, death, and betrayal, but delivered so obliquely you aren’t always sure what the characters deliberately did. Maybe that’s why this story enraptures me: it’s about the things you’ll never get to know, and I always think I'll figure it out this time.

By Alice Munro ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Something I've Been Meaning to Tell You as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A remarkable early collection of stories by Alice Munro, the bestselling author of Dear Life, and one of the greatest fiction writers of our time.

'Alice Munro's stories are miraculous'
Sunday Times

'No one else can - or should be allowed to - write like the great Alice Munro'
Julian Barnes

'She sets down the pains and pleasures of living in a spare, singing prose, not a word wasted'
Daily Telegraph

'Read not more than one of her stories a day, and allow them to work their spell: they are made to last'
Observer

'She's the most savage writer I've…


Book cover of The Empty Grave

Kit Rosewater Author Of The Derby Daredevils

From my list on middle grade with radical and epic friend groups.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a kid, I had a lot of experience having a close group of friends… and a lot of experience looking into other groups from the outside. I waded from circle to circle, trying on friendships like some people try on hats. The books I’m recommending represent the best of fictional friend groups—the groups that topped any clique I saw in real life. Reading these books made me feel like an in-kid in the best possible way. Many of the characters remain the absolute coolest people I know, and serve as inspiration for the friend group dynamics I get to explore in my own stories. 

Kit's book list on middle grade with radical and epic friend groups

Kit Rosewater Why Kit loves this book

Sometimes a friend group slowly forms over the course of a book. It’s a slow burn, a delicious reeling in of like souls. In Stroud’s Lockwood & Co series, readers are treated to the slow burn of the century, as the ultimate ghost-fighting crew forms over the course of five books. We get enemies to friends, friends to lovers, and a final showdown in the last installment that will have you throwing your fist up in triumph and scaring the unsuspecting bystanders around you in the dentist’s waiting room. 

By Jonathan Stroud ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Empty Grave as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

Soon to be a major Netflix series!

Want to hear a ghost story? That's good. I know a few . . .

After their recent adventures, the Lockwood & Co team deserve a well-earned break . . . so naturally they decide to risk their lives breaking into a heavily-guarded crypt. A building full of unsettled souls, it's also the final resting place of Marissa Fittes, the legendary and (supposedly) long-dead ghost hunter - though the team have their suspicions about just how dead she might be.

What they discover changes everything.

Pitched into a desperate race to get to…


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Book cover of Old Man Country

Old Man Country by Thomas R. Cole,

This book follows the journey of a writer in search of wisdom as he narrates encounters with 12 distinguished American men over 80, including Paul Volcker, the former head of the Federal Reserve, and Denton Cooley, the world’s most famous heart surgeon.

In these and other intimate conversations, the book…

Book cover of Balthazar

Selene Kallan Author Of Huntress Prey

From my list on vampires with a unique, spicy bite.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a paranormal fantasy author who loves vampires. They’re my favorite supernatural creatures. I think my obsession with vamps started when I saw Underworld for the first time. I had watched Blade before and thought, “I’d like to see a movie with just as much action but also romance” and voila! Some prefer the darker, less romantic vampire stories in which the bloodsuckers are monsters, but I prefer to read and write stories where they’re more than just their hunger. So if you’re like me and like a good combination of vampire action and seduction, you will probably enjoy the books on my list. 

Selene's book list on vampires with a unique, spicy bite

Selene Kallan Why Selene loves this book

This is the fifth book of the Evernight series by Claudia Gray, but I believe it can be read as a standalone. It’s my favorite, too. Here we see a more traditional approach to the vampire myth. Silver, stakes, and running water are weaknesses. I love Balthazar. He’s a bit brooding, but also interesting. The villains are truly chilling. You know what? I think I’m going to re-read this one right now. 

By Claudia Gray ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Balthazar as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

For hundreds of years, the vampire Balthazar has been alone—without allies, without love.

When Balthazar agrees to help Skye Tierney, a human girl who once attended Evernight Academy, he has no idea how dangerous it will be. Skye’s newfound psychic powers have caught the attention of Redgrave, the cruel, seductive master vampire responsible for murdering Balthazar and his family four centuries ago. Now Redgrave plans to use Skye’s powers for his own evil purposes.

Balthazar will do whatever it takes to stop Redgrave and exact his long-awaited revenge against his killer. As Skye and Balthazar stand together to fight him,…


Book cover of Carrots
Book cover of Grave Sight
Book cover of The Whispering Hollows

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5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in psychic, geography, and rock music?

Psychic 96 books
Geography 38 books
Rock Music 263 books