Books like The phantom cottage by Velda Johnston

Tracy Whitney, a bright and idealistic young woman, marries into wealth but is betrayed and imprisoned by a ruthless mafia. Surviving her ordeal, she embarks on a global quest for revenge, navigating danger from New Orleans to Madrid.

Dan Simmons’ historical thriller follows Charles Dickens after a train accident in 1865, reexamining his life, London society, and the unresolved mystery of his final unfinished novel.

A gripping tale of passion, deception, and the dangers of the Cold War in Afghanistan.

A suspenseful mystery in which ex‑husband Peter faces a murder charge and his former wife Jenny must decide whether to trust him and uncover the truth about the victim, Fiora.

Ned Talbot, a seasoned bookmaker at Royal Ascot, is stunned when a stranger claims to be his father and is then stabbed. He must uncover the mystery before the fatal stakes of horse racing and family secrets catch up with him.

Travis McGee #13

San Francisco attorney Dismas Hardy must untangle a tangled web when his wife is jailed for refusing to testify against a murder suspect, leading him to question motives and hunt for the truth before time runs out.

>The few people in the neighbourhood called it Ghost House and gave it a wide berth. For it was a house of mystery from which screams could be heard coming apparently from no human throat, where, it was alleged, the painted eyes in the portraits that hung on the walls followed you about as you passed by, and where the mirrors in the bedrooms reflected things that were not there to be reflected. >Ghost House had been empty and deserted for forty years. Yet when Gerry Martin and his wife drove up there seeking refuge from a sudden blinding storm they found it occupied and themselves soon afterwards virtually prisoners. >What was the secret of these people? What was the secret of the man who was found nearly drowned in the sea at the foot of the cliffs? Above all what was the secret of the terrifying laughter of the Devil?

In war‑torn Paris of 1870, detective Martha Hathaway stays behind to solve a tragic crime, blending romance and suspense in a thrilling mystery.

Five affluent families on Crescent Place are plunged into dread when Mrs. Lancaster is murdered with an axe, and more victims appear, turning their quiet community into a labyrinth of paranoia.

A former defense lawyer turns to the world of horse racing after his client’s light sentence, only to find a brutal murder linking steeplechasers. In a mix of courtroom intrigue and track tension, he must uncover the truth before it ends his life.

Travis McGee #21

After jockey Martin Stukely dies at Cheltenham, his friend Gerard Logan, a celebrated glass‑blower, becomes embroiled in a dangerous hunt for a stolen videotape that threatens both his craft and his life.

A psychopathic killer stalks the Arizona desert, hunting for revenge after a daring kidnapping plots to lure his next victim.

TV meteorologist Perry Stuart’s orderly life unravels when a hurricane‑chasing flight in the Caribbean turns deadly, revealing conspiracies that push him from the calm of routine forecasts into storms of intrigue.