Lately I’ve found myself with mixed emotions about psychological thrillers. It’s fun to read novels that have that “unputdownable” quality. I love the tension and the impulse to read it in one sitting. But only to a point. I’m not sure if thrillers are becoming more intense, but more and more I feel the need to put them down and take a break.
Having said that, I do still get pulled in to reading them often. Here are a few — most of which I thoroughly enjoyed!
Trust Me by Hank Phillippi Ryan
I can’t imagine a more perfect title for this book. Ryan does a masterful job of portraying the vulnerabilities of the mind. Two women, one accused of murdering her child and the other grieving the loss of both her husband and child are brought together, and as the book description details (no spoiler here!) — the game of cat and mouse begins. Who and what can we trust when we can’t even trust ourselves? Great psychological thriller. My first book from this author and it left me wanting more.
The Murder List by Hank Phillippi Ryan
I knew from Ryan’s Trust Me to expect the unexpected in her writing. She is a master at cat and mouse and this book kept me guessing right up to the big reveal. It also left me unsettled for days! A must read for fans for psychological thrillers.
Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman
I liked this book and was also totally unsettled by it — so it wasn’t the most enjoyable of reads for me. But it was well done and I liked the writing style. It starts with the ending — you know a wife is digging a grave to bury her husband — and then goes back and tells the story. I wanted to race through to see how it all unfolded — and at the same time had to put it down and take a break because I was frustrated with the characters. So, a mixed bag for me, but a good thriller.
An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
Another great book by this dynamic duo. The protagonist participates in a psychological study where the lines between the study and her everyday life begin to blur. As a psychotherapist, I loved the unfolding suspense in this novel as well as the exploration of moral and ethical questions. It kept me guessing and wondering how it could possibly come to any satisfying ending. If you like psychological thrillers, definitely add this to your list!
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
The was an entertaining psychological thriller reminiscent of Agatha Christie. It’s told in multiple POV’s and involves a wedding party on a remote island, a body (of course) and plenty of motives. A fun, quick read.
Pretty Revenge by Emily Liebert
I’ve enjoyed all of Emily Liebert’s books, but this is my new favorite. I read it in two evenings! A great, slow unveiling of two women, their current struggles and secret pasts. I felt empathy for both characters and felt the tension throughout the book of “there is no way for this to end well.” And yet Liebert weaves a realistic and ultimately satisfying ending.
The Other Woman by Sandie Jones
Emily has met the perfect man, if only his mother wasn’t part of the package. Lies abound and clues to the truth are sprinkled in and hard to miss – unless… I won’t say more to avoid spoilers – but definitely a fun, fast-paced psychological thriller.
The Night Before by Wendy Walker
Laura is staying with her sister Rosie after upheaval in her life. She goes on an internet date, but doesn’t come home. Told in alternating POVs over the course of a few days, this book kept me reading. It wasn’t so stressful to keep me up at night – although maybe enough so to keep me away from online dating forever! There were numerous twists and turns that kept me guessing well into the second half of the book.
The Sanitorium by Sarah Pearse
I’ve talked about my love of gothic novels that steer clear of horror (Blog # 9 – Gothic “Light”?) and this was on the edge for me. It is set in an isolated former sanitorium turned five-star resort hotel in the Swedish Alps where a winter storm and avalanche isolate the guests and staff. The protagonist, an anxious UK detective, Elin, –on leave from her job after a case gone bad — is pulled into investigating when someone ends up dead. The suspense is tremendous and I knew it was possibly going to give me nightmares– but I couldn’t put it down and read it in a day.
I know there’s a plethora of novels in this genre to choose from, some more disturbing than others. Do you have any favorites?
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