I’ve always been drawn to complex female characters in both reading and writing. Even in the 21st century, there are so many expectations placed on girls and women to conform to society’s narrow concepts of femininity. As a queer woman who grew up under the UK’s Section 28, I’ve always struggled to fit myself into these pre-assigned boxes, which is why I’m fascinated by those who step so firmly out of them. I teach as well as write and one of the most satisfying things about both is the time I get to spend examining character. I hope you’re as captivated by these difficult women as I am!
Alexandra Southwood has vanished. Her husband, Marc, is beside himself. It isn’t long before the police are searching for a body. But Alexandra is alive—trapped, far away from her husband and young daughters.
Desperate, Marc will stop at nothing to find the woman he loves, even if it means discovering that he never really knew her at all. Alexandra is no ordinary missing person—but then neither is she quite the perfect wife.
I love this book because it doesn’t shy away from some of the most difficult truths about the film industry and the #MeToo movement. Li used to work in Hollywood and I think her personal experience shines through in both the sumptuous world-building and the intense, page-turning plotting.
For me, though, it’s the moral dilemmas at the heart of this story that make it so gripping. Powerful, enraging, and utterly thought-provoking, this is one of the best contemporary feminist thrillers.
I read this gripping psychological noir about a woman escaping her past and falling into a steamy, lethal affair a few years ago, but it’s still vividly seared into my mind.
I found the writing utterly captivating, and I think Lippman is an absolute genius when it comes to plot. This twisty story of love, lies, betrayal, and revenge kept me guessing right until the very end–not to mention reading through the middle of the night!
WINNER OF THE eDUNNIT AWARD FOR BEST CRIME NOVEL NOMINATED FOR THE CWA GOLD DAGGER
'Dark, gleaming. Read it.' GILLIAN FYNN 'Note perfect . . . Not to be missed.' MEGAN ABBOTT
Over the course of a punishing summer, Polly and Adam abandon themselves to a steamy, inexorable affair. Still, each holds something back from the other - dangerous, even lethal secrets.
Then someone dies. Was it an accident or part of a plan? By now Adam and Polly are so ensnared in each other's lives and lies that neither one knows how to get away - or even if…
I found this novel incredibly chilling and scarily relevant to today, given its 1965 setting. Inspired by true events, Flint’s spare prose totally transported me to the blistering New York heatwave in which her character, Ruth, is accused of murdering her own children.
I love how complicated Ruth is, how her story asked me to question what makes a ‘good’ mother, and how deeply Flint left me thinking about how women, in general, are judged by the police, the press, and the public.
Haunting, intoxicating and heart-poundingly suspenseful, Little Deaths is a gripping novel about love, morality and obsession, exploring the capacity for good and evil within us all.
It's the summer of 1965, and the streets of Queens, New York shimmer in a heatwave. One July morning, Ruth Malone wakes to find a bedroom window wide open and her two young children missing. After a desperate search, the police make a horrifying discovery.
Noting Ruth's perfectly made-up face and provocative clothing, the empty liquor bottles and love letters that litter her apartment, the detectives leap to convenient conclusions, fuelled by neighbourhood gossip…
I don’t think any top 5 thrillers list would be complete without a Gillian Flynn title. In all her books, I love how Flynn combines twisty, edge-of-your-seat plotting with deep psychological observations about her characters, but I think Gone Girl does this the best.
I was shocked by the big reveal on a first read, but that’s only one of many pleasures I keep finding in this novel as I return to it repeatedly. Nick and Amy are the ultimate dysfunctional couple and, in many ways, completely unlikable characters–yet I secretly love them both!
THE ADDICTIVE No.1 BESTSELLER AND INTERNATIONAL PHENOMENON OVER 20 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE THE BOOK THAT DEFINES PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER
Who are you? What have we done to each other?
These are the questions Nick Dunne finds himself asking on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, when his wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police suspect Nick. Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it isn't true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He says they weren't made by him. And then there are the persistent calls on…
I love how clever this book is! It seems like a simple premise, but the Sliding Doors-style structure, allowing us to follow Joanna into two different versions of the future, prompted me to think of all the similar moments of fear I’ve experienced and how they, too, could have ended in an ‘impossible decision.’
I was thrilled, angered, and gripped by both storylines individually, but it’s the way they knotted unexpectedly together that made me ask: What would I have done in this situation?
Desperate to honor his father’s dying wish, Layken Martin vows to do whatever it takes to save the family farm. Once the Army discharges him following World War II, Layken returns to Missouri to find his legacy in shambles and in jeopardy. A foreclosure notice from the bank doubles the threat. He appeals to the local banker for more time—a chance to rebuild, plant, and harvest crops and time to heal far away from the noise of bombs and gunfire.
But the banker firmly denies his request. Now what?
Then, the banker makes an alternative proposition—marry his unwanted daughter, Sara Beth, in exchange for a two-year extension. Out of options, money, and time, Layken agrees to the bargain.
Now, he has two years to make a living off the land while he shares his life with a stranger. If he fails at either, he’ll lose it all.
Desperate to honor his father's dying wish, Layken Martin vows to do whatever it takes to save the family farm.
Once the Army discharges him following World War II, Layken returns to Missouri to find his legacy in shambles and in jeopardy. A foreclosure notice from the bank doubles the threat. He appeals to the local banker for more time-a chance to rebuild, plant, and harvest crops and time to heal far away from the noise of bombs and gunfire.
But the banker firmly denies his request. Now what?
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