Here are 73 books that Forgotten Shadows fans have personally recommended if you like Forgotten Shadows. Book DNA 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 The Year Mrs. Cooper Got Out More: A Great Wharf Novel

The Year Mrs. Cooper Got Out More by Meredith Marple,

The coastal tourist town of Great Wharf, Maine, boasts a crime rate so low you might suspect someone’s lying.

Nevertheless, jobless empty nester Mallory Cooper has become increasingly reclusive and fearful. Careful to keep the red wine handy and loath to leave the house, Mallory misses her happier self—and so…

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 That First Heady Burn

That First Heady Burn by George Bixley,

Don’t mess with the hothead—or he might just mess with you. Slater Ibáñez is only interested in two kinds of guys: the ones he wants to punch, and the ones he sleeps with. Things get interesting when they start to overlap. A freelance investigator, Slater trolls the dark side of…

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 Shewolf

Rae Lori Author Of A Kiss of Ashen Twilight

From my list on contemporary paranormal fantasy that span time.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been a huge fan of vampires, werewolves, elves, fairies, and all sorts of supernatural-themed creatures since I can remember. In addition, I grew up on sci-fi and fantasy movies and novels, which inspired me to pen my first short story at ten years old and send it in for publication. Since then, I’ve enjoyed creating art and writing stories that feature fantastical characters and creatures in extraordinary worlds having adventures. Though I have had two book series and numerous short stories published, I have many more stories and novels in the vault that I can’t wait to share with my readers.

Rae's book list on contemporary paranormal fantasy that span time

Rae Lori Why Rae loves this book

I have a soft spot for books about communities of supernaturals that live among mortals and this is another book that hit the spot. I read it years multiple times and it’s one of the books I think of when I need a paranormal romance fix. The hero is swoon-worthy, the heroine is engaging and the worldbuilding is inviting. There’s drama, romance, a bit of mystery and danger, and none of the story is sacrificed for the story which I’m always happy to read. I love the slow burn of the romance between the hero and heroine that allows you to see the attraction grow as the story advances. One of my faves!

By Teresa D'Amario ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A small town veterinarian has a big time problem. She's not human.

Plagued as a child with an extra-sensitive sense of smell, strength, and eyesight, Anna Callaway always thought she was special. But she didn't understand how special until she met Kieran Hunter.

He insists they are True Mates, but he's not human either. He's wolven.

Kieran is a protector of his race. No longer the Alpha of his pack, he spends his time searching out and punishing any who may reveal their race to humans. While patrolling, he finds two wolven about to kidnap Anna. He battles to protect…


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Book cover of My Book Boyfriend

My Book Boyfriend by Kathy Strobos,

Lily loves her community garden. Rupert wants to bulldoze it. When feelings grow, will they blossom or turn to rubble?

"It literally had everything! - Bookworm Characters - Humor - Banter - Swoon-worthy lines."  - Book Reviewer.

Book cover of The Wind In My Heart

W.B.J. Williams Author Of Johnny Talon and the Goddess of Love and War

From my list on paranormal noir from someone who loves noir.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love noir fiction and the hard-boiled detective novels that often best exemplify the genre. Both Dashiel Hammet’s Sam Spade and Raymond Chander’s Marlowe are two men who will sacrifice everything for the truth, no matter the cost. There is a stark beauty in that. Fantasy, the genre of myth, carries the deepest, most poignant truths. These are the hard truths that can break a hero’s heart, as in Gilgamesh, or give you the bittersweet ending of The Lord of the Rings. Blending them produces some of my favorite stories, stories I love to read as the fog rolls in, listening to the music of heartbreaking jazz. 

W.B.J.'s book list on paranormal noir from someone who loves noir

W.B.J. Williams Why W.B.J. loves this book

In this noir story with a philosophical bent, Miles has been hired to track the reincarnation of a demonic guardian by a Tibetan monk on the eve of a visit of the Dali Lama to New York, and Miles finds himself over his head as an apparent gang war erupts in Chinatown, killings that some on the force think he had a role in. He must avoid capture by the cops so that he can find the killer and the demon, if they are not the same, and avoid becoming the demon's next victim.

I loved the weaving of Tibetan myth into a story of gang warfare and revenge.

By Douglas Wynne ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Miles Landry is trying to put violence behind him when he takes up work as a private detective focused on humdrum adultery cases. But when a Tibetan monk hires him to find a missing person, things get weird fast.

Charged with tracking down the reincarnation of a man possessed by a demonic guardian from the Tibetan Book of the Dead, Miles is plunged into a world of fortune-tellers, gangsters, and tantric rituals. The year is 1991, and a series of grisly murders has rocked New York City in the run up to a visit from the Dalai Lama.

The police…


Book cover of One Last Kill
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Book cover of Refuge Bay

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