The best realistic horrifying thriller books

Why am I passionate about this?

I was always addicted to the true crime shows on late at night; the real stories of good and evil in everyday life, around every corner. I was fascinated by why people do the things they do. It wasn’t always about the nature of crime itself, but how we get through it and overcome it, and survive it, and ultimately how it changes us… And what the power of love and hate can lead you to do, or to become. I now write about the harrowing and horrifying possibilities that could await any of us. And give you knowledge and food for thought that may help you, if hell finds you.


I wrote...

Angellove: We Were the Lucky Ones.

By Bronwyn Rust,

Book cover of Angellove: We Were the Lucky Ones.

What is my book about?

Everyone’s nightmare come to life. When sadness turns to anger… When the good become bad… “The line dividing good and evil runs through the heart of every human being.” What would you do if someone took your everything?

At its heart, it’s a universal story of love, loss, friendship, and faith. It’s chillingly mesmeric in tone, incorporating authentic forensic detail, with powerful intensity, and palpable emotion.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Holy Bible

Bronwyn Rust Why did I love this book?

It is the foundation of every story – believer or not – the battle between good and evil, love and hate, life and death, redemption and condemnation, mercy and wrath…

As a Christian, I have struggled with my faith, especially after a loss, and instead of turning away from God, I dove in heart first, for understanding, for answers.

It’s the book I have always turned to, no matter how young I was, or how old I get.

It taught me everything, from standing up for what I believe in…even if it’s alone; to sacrifice; to living a righteous life, and to not fear death.

By Unknown,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Holy Bible as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

With an attractive new slipcase and binding, this compact Bible is an ideal gift and spiritual companion.

The full text of the ever-popular Authorized King James Version Bible, with all its literary beauty and poetic grandeur, in an attractive size and with beautiful binding and slipcase
making it an ideal gift.

Includes silver gilt edged pages and white marker ribbon.


Book cover of The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence

Bronwyn Rust Why did I love this book?

Not only is it one of the best books I’ve ever read, but it’s also one of the most helpful and useful.

As the physically weaker sex, fear is a constant – even if it’s in the back of your mind. Reading this book empowered me. I felt stronger.

Instead of fearing the fear, I listened to it, and it became a superpower.

Safe to say, this book probably saved my life, without me even realizing it.

By Gavin de Becker,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

In this empowering book, Gavin de Becker, the man Oprah Winfrey calls the US' leading expert on violent behaviour, shows you how to spot even subtle signs of danger - before it's too late. Shattering the myth that most violent acts are unpredictable, de Becker, whose clients include top Hollywood stars and government agencies, offers specific ways to protect yourself and those you love, including: how to act when approached by a stranger; when you should fear someone close to you; what to do if you are being stalked; how to uncover the source of anonymous threats or phone calls;…


Book cover of Pet Sematary

Bronwyn Rust Why did I love this book?

Anyone who has ever lost someone wishes they could come back, that we could do something to bring them back.

It’s a universal story that crosses every boundary.

The beautiful idea takes a dark sinister twist with vivid eerie imagery that leaves you unsettled.

As the characters deal with death in the family, the grief process of guilt and anguish was too horrifyingly real.

By Stephen King,

Why should I read it?

11 authors picked Pet Sematary as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Now a major motion picture! Stephen King’s #1 New York Times bestseller is a “wild, powerful, disturbing” (The Washington Post Book World) classic about evil that exists far beyond the grave—among King’s most iconic and frightening novels.

When Dr. Louis Creed takes a new job and moves his family to the idyllic rural town of Ludlow, Maine, this new beginning seems too good to be true. Despite Ludlow’s tranquility, an undercurrent of danger exists here. Those trucks on the road outside the Creed’s beautiful old home travel by just a little too quickly, for one thing…as is evidenced by the…


Book cover of 24 Hours

Bronwyn Rust Why did I love this book?

This was a fun and thrilling read about an intricate kidnapping plot. A seemingly perfect crime with the picture-perfect family; ‘Picture Perfect’, is only ever for the picture.

It taught me that even if the odds are stacked against you, you are not captive to your circumstance. This was a psychological and active fight for survival, not only for one’s own survival but for those whom you love.

Courage is contagious.

By Greg Iles,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked 24 Hours as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Will Jennings, his wife and little girl are a happy American family, living in Mississippi. Hickey is a conman and kidnapper. He targets his victims very carefully and takes great pains to make sure no one is ever hurt. He has yet to kill. All his victims have come up with the money and the authorities have never been involved. His perfect record is down to two things: One, he always stays with the parents or person with the money. Two, he never asks for more than they can afford. But when he tries to rip Will's family apart, he…


Book cover of What Dreams May Come

Bronwyn Rust Why did I love this book?

This well-researched and thought-provoking book shook me more than I was prepared for.

It’s a love story about a man’s journey through death into the afterlife, and risking Heaven to save his love from the opposing fate… Because not even Heaven is Heaven without the one you love. And loving them so much that you would search through depths of hell for them.

The depiction of hell is so bone-chillingly vivid and creepy, that left me unsettled to my core.

I recommend this powerful heart-moving book to anyone going through a loss.

By Richard Matheson,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked What Dreams May Come as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

What happens to us after we die? Chris Nielsen had no idea, until an unexpected accident cut his life short, separating him abruptly from his beloved wife. Now Chris must discover the true nature of life after death. He also has to risk his very soul to save Annie from an eternity of despair.


You might also like...

Who Is a Worthy Mother?: An Intimate History of Adoption

By Rebecca Wellington,

Book cover of Who Is a Worthy Mother?: An Intimate History of Adoption

Rebecca Wellington Author Of Who Is a Worthy Mother?: An Intimate History of Adoption

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I am adopted. For most of my life, I didn’t identify as adopted. I shoved that away because of the shame I felt about being adopted and not truly fitting into my family. But then two things happened: I had my own biological children, the only two people I know to date to whom I am biologically related, and then shortly after my second daughter was born, my older sister, also an adoptee, died of a drug overdose. These sequential births and death put my life on a new trajectory, and I started writing, out of grief, the history of adoption and motherhood in America. 

Rebecca's book list on straight up, real memoirs on motherhood and adoption

What is my book about?

I grew up thinking that being adopted didn’t matter. I was wrong. This book is my journey uncovering the significance and true history of adoption practices in America. Now, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, the renewed debate over women’s reproductive rights places an even greater emphasis on adoption. As a mother, historian, and adoptee, I am uniquely qualified to uncover the policies and practices of adoption.

The history of adoption, reframed through the voices of adoptees like me, and mothers who have been forced to relinquish their babies, blows apart old narratives about adoption, exposing the fallacy that adoption is always good.

In this story, I reckon with the pain and unanswered questions of my own experience and explore broader issues surrounding adoption in the United States, including changing legal policies, sterilization, and compulsory relinquishment programs, forced assimilation of babies of color and Indigenous babies adopted into white families, and other liabilities affecting women, mothers, and children. Now is the moment we must all hear these stories.

Who Is a Worthy Mother?: An Intimate History of Adoption

By Rebecca Wellington,

What is this book about?

Nearly every person in the United States is affected by adoption. Adoption practices are woven into the fabric of American society and reflect how our nation values human beings, particularly mothers. In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, the renewed debate over women's reproductive rights places an even greater emphasis on adoption. As a mother, historian, and adoptee, Rebecca C. Wellington is uniquely qualified to uncover the policies and practices of adoption. Wellington's timely-and deeply researched-account amplifies previously marginalized voices and exposes the social and racial biases embedded in the United States' adoption industry.…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in violence, the Bible, and kidnapping?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about violence, the Bible, and kidnapping.

Violence Explore 90 books about violence
The Bible Explore 337 books about the Bible
Kidnapping Explore 113 books about kidnapping