Here are 74 books that Forgotten Shadows fans have personally recommended if you like Forgotten Shadows. 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 One Last Kill

Gary Corbin Author Of Lying in Vengeance

From my list on genre-busting indie mysteries.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a retired IT manager and tech writer, a guy who studied political science and economics and ended up writing computer programs for a living. I’ve never lived fully inside my own lane, so to speak, so genre-crossing stories appeal to the nonconformist in me. Along these lines, my book crosses genre boundaries, a legal thriller without lawyers or judges, told from the perspective of a guilty everyman instead of the innocent, wrongly-accused defendant. Having served on a few juries, I’m fascinated by the role of the common person in this pivotal process that underpins democracy.

Gary's book list on genre-busting indie mysteries

Gary Corbin Why Gary loves this book

This might be the closest to a traditional police procedural in this list, but his literary flourishes, romantic elements, and thoughtful character arcs expand the Tracy Crosswhite series onto the radar of fans of any genre.

Crosswhite’s glass-ceiling-busting endeavors as a Seattle-area detective who forges her own path while tending to her family’s needs make her an endearing hero. And she’s a tough little lady, too.

By Robert Dugoni ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked One Last Kill as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling series.

Detective Tracy Crosswhite draws a long-dormant serial killer out of hiding in a nerve-shattering novel by New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni.

Tracy Crosswhite is reopening the investigation into Seattle's Route 99 serial killer. After thirteen victims, he stopped hunting and the trail went cold, stirring public outrage. Now, nearly three decades after his first kill, Tracy is expected to finally bring closure to the victims' families and redeem the Seattle PD's reputation. Even if it means working with her nemesis, Captain Johnny Nolasco.

Lead detective of the original task…


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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 Subject to the Tide

Gary Corbin Author Of Lying in Vengeance

From my list on genre-busting indie mysteries.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a retired IT manager and tech writer, a guy who studied political science and economics and ended up writing computer programs for a living. I’ve never lived fully inside my own lane, so to speak, so genre-crossing stories appeal to the nonconformist in me. Along these lines, my book crosses genre boundaries, a legal thriller without lawyers or judges, told from the perspective of a guilty everyman instead of the innocent, wrongly-accused defendant. Having served on a few juries, I’m fascinated by the role of the common person in this pivotal process that underpins democracy.

Gary's book list on genre-busting indie mysteries

Gary Corbin Why Gary loves this book

This book crosses multiple genre boundaries. While ticking all the boxes for a traditional mystery, Mahaffey blends in a healthy dose of romance, southern culture, and the paranormal to keep the reader guessing, not only whodunnit, but what is real and what is other-worldly.

Though tightly plotted, the author weaves it all together with lush prose and complex, likable (and very dislikable) characters.

By Laura Mahaffey ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Subject to the Tide as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Determined to leave behind an abusive past, Amanda seeks solace on the South Carolina coast, where she hopes to focus on building a kayaking business and reconnect with her estranged father.Love is the farthest thing from her mind until fate intervenes with Hal, a handsome stranger with a mysterious past and useful knowledge of the local market. They agree to join forces—but someone seems determined for them to fail. The property they need suddenly becomes unavailable, vandals strike, and other strange encounters ensue. Each attack is accompanied by the appearance of an enigmatic night heron—and soon the pranks grow not…


Book cover of Refuge Bay

Gary Corbin Author Of Lying in Vengeance

From my list on genre-busting indie mysteries.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a retired IT manager and tech writer, a guy who studied political science and economics and ended up writing computer programs for a living. I’ve never lived fully inside my own lane, so to speak, so genre-crossing stories appeal to the nonconformist in me. Along these lines, my book crosses genre boundaries, a legal thriller without lawyers or judges, told from the perspective of a guilty everyman instead of the innocent, wrongly-accused defendant. Having served on a few juries, I’m fascinated by the role of the common person in this pivotal process that underpins democracy.

Gary's book list on genre-busting indie mysteries

Gary Corbin Why Gary loves this book

Rural, eastern Canada yields a literary mystery with rough, gritty characters, both men and women, with a clash of Anglo and Francophone cultures in a struggle for coexistence.

Tensions resurface over a decades-old murder, forcing unlikely alliances and character-driven plot twists, all floating in a sea of rich, beautiful, descriptive prose.

By Carol Burrows ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Homeless after a boating accident in which her husband and two sons are killed, fifty-year-old sailor and travel writer Tristen Morgan leaves the rehab center where she has fought her way back to sobriety, for the shores of a pristine wilderness named Marrow Griff along the north shore of Georgian Bay.Confronted by the austere beauty of the land, she is soon joined by an unlikely cast of allies. The first is Patrick, a young dreamer with a drinking problem who is trying to fix up an old sailboat. Then there are Maddie and Remi, a sister and brother team at…


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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 Tempered

Gary Corbin Author Of Lying in Vengeance

From my list on genre-busting indie mysteries.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a retired IT manager and tech writer, a guy who studied political science and economics and ended up writing computer programs for a living. I’ve never lived fully inside my own lane, so to speak, so genre-crossing stories appeal to the nonconformist in me. Along these lines, my book crosses genre boundaries, a legal thriller without lawyers or judges, told from the perspective of a guilty everyman instead of the innocent, wrongly-accused defendant. Having served on a few juries, I’m fascinated by the role of the common person in this pivotal process that underpins democracy.

Gary's book list on genre-busting indie mysteries

Gary Corbin Why Gary loves this book

Some might object to my including this one on this list, and to be fair, it isn’t so much a whodunnit as a “What the heck DID actually happen?” sort of tale.

A beautiful rendering of the psychological horror endured by a man tormented by blocked memories, his attempts to unlock his past may indict his own conscience–and put his entire future at risk. Riveting.

By Kate Kort ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Once Murray understands he can control his violent impulses, he's left with a far more unsettling question: does he even want to?

Ten years after losing both his beloved mentor and his abusive father, Murray Henderson is still yearning for direction. He's treading water in Cleveland, failing in his career and relationships. Anger, guilt, and distrust continually derail his chances at happiness. When an opportunity calls him to New York City, Murray finally sees a path out of his relentless grief.

But as he navigates a hopeful new life, he soon falls back into old patterns of self-loathing and violence.…


Book cover of What A Mother's Love Don't Teach You

Curdella Forbes Author Of A Tall History of Sugar

From my list on genre-busting love and other improbable things.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was born in a Jamaican far-district just before independence. That historical fact is only one aspect of my in-between childhood. My daily imaginative fare was European fairy tales; my mother’s stories of growing up; and folktales, rife with plantation monsters, that my grand-uncle told. There was no distance between life and those tales: our life was mythic. The district people were poor. So they understood inexactitudes profoundly enough to put two and two together and make five. They worshipped integrity, and church was central. Inevitably, genre-crossing, “impossible” realities, and the many ways love interrupts history, were set in my imagination by the time I was seven and knew I would write.

Curdella's book list on genre-busting love and other improbable things

Curdella Forbes Why Curdella loves this book

The love triangle in this debut novel is unusual but wholly believable, when you consider the history between its two settings: Jamaica and the USA. A frightened 18-year-old from Kingston’s inner city gives up her baby to the wealthy American couple for whom she works as a maid. Years later when a young American man and his parents come to the island, Dinah is convinced that he is her long-lost son, and she cannot be unconvinced. At the end, we think about the astonishing ways love crosses but never dissolves barriers of race, class, national origin, and above all, family. Sharma Taylor’s purposive genre-bending (love story, crime story, yard fiction), is part of the book’s riches, as is the tenderness of her empathic insight.

By Sharma Taylor ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked What A Mother's Love Don't Teach You as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'An outstanding debut' CHERIE JONES, author of How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps her House

'Vivid and authentic' LEONE ROSS, author of This One Sky Day

'Cacophonic, alive and heartbreaking' KIRAN MILLWOOD HARGRAVE, author of The Mercies

As featured on BBC's Cultural Frontline podcast

At eighteen years old, Dinah gave away her baby son to the rich couple she worked for before they left Jamaica. They never returned. She never forgot him.

Eighteen years later, a young man comes from the US to Kingston. From the moment she sees him, Dinah never doubts - this is her son.

What happens next…


Book cover of The Ghost of Marlow House

Terry Segan Author Of Spirit in Tow

From my list on mystery with a paranormal twist.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been intrigued with books containing paranormal twists—I’m talking ghosts, mysticism, time travel. I also have, what I like to call, a healthy curiosity about spirits. Having gone on ghost tours in York (England), Salem (MA), and New Orleans, I’ve yet to spot one. But I know what some of you may be saying—be careful what you wish for! My writing career began later in life, when I realized the stories in my head demanded to be released into the world. From the start I attempted writing a straight-up mystery, but paranormal aspects crept into my chapters, and I decided to let them stay.

Terry's book list on mystery with a paranormal twist

Terry Segan Why Terry loves this book

Another series starter which I’m happy to have found. I can’t get enough of characters talking to dead people while trying to resolve the spirit’s issues. It leads to sticky, sometimes awkward, situations relying on the main character’s wit and tenacity to see them through to the end. Of course, the living aren’t always a delightful picnic to deal with either. Sorting out a victim of a ninety-year-old murder requires some interesting digging into the past, and Bobbi Holmes doesn’t disappoint.

By Bobbi Holmes , Anna J McIntyre ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

When Danielle Boatman inherits Marlow House, she dreams of turning it into a seaside bed and breakfast. Since she’s never visited the property, Danielle’s not sure what awaits her in Oregon. She certainly doesn’t expect to find one of the house’s previous owners still in residence. After all, the man has been dead for almost ninety years—shouldn’t he have moved on by now?Charming Walt Marlow convinces Danielle the only way he can move on is if she solves the mystery of his death. Danielle soon discovers her real problems may come from the living—those who have their sights on Marlow…


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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 Before Autumn Fades

Tricia Copeland Author Of To be a Fae Queen

From my list on Indie Fantasy books with creative spins.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been obsessed with fantasy since my grandmother bought me the entire Dorothy and the Land of Oz series as a kid. I love discovering new types of fantasy characters, spins on characters, new lore in genres, and mythology woven in creative ways. For my fantasy group, I’ve researched many interpretations of fae, witches, elves, vampires, and shapeshifters. I’m always looking to add to my list, and I love finding Indie authors new to their niche. I feel so privileged to interview many authors like these and Jennifer L. Armentrout (squeal) for my podcast, The Finding the Magic Book Podcast. I hope you love these books as much as I did.

Tricia's book list on Indie Fantasy books with creative spins

Tricia Copeland Why Tricia loves this book

This book is a solid paranormal YA read with lots of great twists and surprises. I liked that this book shared a new type of paranormal being, at least to me, and that the plot wasn't predictable.

Wren, a sasayakimasu who can see departed souls, is damaged, and that aspect of the book is hard to read. I liked that we got two sides of the story from Wren and Jordan, her ghost. I loved that it’s hard to tell who saves who in this one. 

By Christian Andreo ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Before Autumn Fades as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The residents of the old Victorian are killing themselves. Or are they?

The girl in the bathtub didn’t kill herself for no reason. The guy by the lake didn’t drown by accident. But Wren has bigger questions than why they’re dead. Like why she can see them… and shatter lightbulbs with a scream. As if she’s not self-destructive enough, now she has feelings for one of them?

Someone is pulling Wren’s strings. She needs to find out why and soon, or there may not be an after-life for anyone. Ever again.

Find out for yourself why readers rave!

★★★★★ 'A…


Book cover of Resurrection Road

Tyffany Hackett Author Of Daylight's Curse

From my list on indie works you might not have heard of.

Why am I passionate about this?

The theme of this list is so important to me as an independently published author. Ever since I was about 14 years old I knew I wanted to tell stories, and my way, so even then I was looking into indie publishing. The idea of offering my books up to the traditional publishing chopping block, to be edited and mulled into what’s most marketable, scared me so much! I didn’t want to tell my stories another person’s way. So here we are, and I’m giving you guys a list of indie recommendations whose authors feel very much the same way. We just want to tell our stories. And have control over how that’s done. ;)

Tyffany's book list on indie works you might not have heard of

Tyffany Hackett Why Tyffany loves this book

So this book. Post the ending of Supernatural, I was of course deep in my Supernatural feelings and this book absolutely filled that road trip, paranormal adventure vibe the SPN television series had given me for so many years. Naturally, it helps that two of the main characters are also fan casted after Reylo. ;) But this book is the perfect mesh of adventuring, paranormal creatures, and a delicious rivals-to-lovers slow-burn romance that even after the second book I can’t get enough of.

By Hannah Marae ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

For as long as she can remember, Eden has been on the run.
The open road is the only freedom she’s ever known, the only life she’s ever had. But when the road ends in a backwater town, a mysterious phone call sends her on a new journey.

Lazarus is no stranger to ghosts.
Shades and spirits are his constant companions, it’s the living that set him on edge. The decision to help a troubled mage will find him taking on more than he bargained for.

Becoming a hunter was never part of Zeke’s plan.
He finds himself stepping into…


Book cover of Wildest Dreams

Krystyna Allyn Author Of Twisted Origin

From my list on sating your paranormal urges.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have loved the supernatural world since my dad took me to see The Lost Boys in the theater. There’s just something about the unbelievable that drags me into this genre. I enjoy the escapism aspect because real life is hard enough. Plus, what girl wouldn’t want to be taken to a castle and live happily ever after with her prince? I know I would.

Krystyna's book list on sating your paranormal urges

Krystyna Allyn Why Krystyna loves this book

Kristen Ashley is known for her contemporary books with heroines that rock and commanding alphas. In this book, you have the same, but with a supernatural twist. Wildest Dreams gives you the raw emotion you’d expect from a KA book, while adding a fantastical story and some hilarity to boot.

By Kristen Ashley ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Seoafin “Finnie” Wilde was taught by her parents that every breath was a treasure and to seek every adventure she could find. And she learns this lesson the hard way when they perish in a plane crash. But she never forgets and when she discovers there is a parallel universe where every person has a twin, she finds a witch who can send her there so she can have the adventure of a lifetime.

But upon arrival in the Winter Wonderland of Lunwyn, she realizes she’s been played by her twin and finds herself walking down the aisle to be…


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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 The Segonian

Krystyna Allyn Author Of Twisted Origin

From my list on sating your paranormal urges.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have loved the supernatural world since my dad took me to see The Lost Boys in the theater. There’s just something about the unbelievable that drags me into this genre. I enjoy the escapism aspect because real life is hard enough. Plus, what girl wouldn’t want to be taken to a castle and live happily ever after with her prince? I know I would.

Krystyna's book list on sating your paranormal urges

Krystyna Allyn Why Krystyna loves this book

Diane is known for her Immortal Guardians Vampire series, but this spin-off to her fang world includes two things I love, vampires and aliens. I’d be remiss when mentioning alien romance if I didn’t include Ruby Dixon. Both stories expertly combine humor, drama, a heck of spice, and the supernatural excitement that keeps me reading.

By Dianne Duvall ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A USA TODAY Bestseller
One of the Best Audiobooks of 2021—AudioFile Magazine

New York Times bestselling author Dianne Duvall brings readers the second stand-alone novel in a thrilling new sci-fi romance series full of action, humor, and happily-ever-afters.

Eliana's life has never been what one might term ordinary. At least, it hasn't been for a very long time. As a powerful Immortal Guardian, she spends her nights hunting and slaying psychotic vampires that most of humanity doesn't even realize exist. Then an opportunity arises that instantly makes her extraordinary existence seem downright boring. The leader of the Immortal Guardians asks…


Book cover of One Last Kill
Book cover of Subject to the Tide
Book cover of Refuge Bay

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Interested in the paranormal, Oregon, and indie music?

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