Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a taxidermy-loving vegan who had a pet cemetery as a kid. So, I guess you could say I’m a bit of a Wednesday Adams. My airplane reading? Forensic pathology textbooks. When my first thrillers were published, a lot of people were surprised. “You seem so nice!” they said. “You’re so funny and happy!” Here’s a secret: thriller writers are some of the most jolly people I know. We get it all out on the page. We get to murder people for a living. So, if you cut me off in traffic or don’t RSVP to my Evite, it's no big deal. I won’t get upset. I’ll just kill you later...in a book. 


I wrote

Heartsick

By Chelsea Cain,

Book cover of Heartsick

What is my book about?

My book is the first in my NYT best-selling six-book Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell thriller series. Detective Archie Sheridan was on…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Green River Killer

Chelsea Cain Why did I love this book?

Plot twist! It’s a graphic novel. Jeff is the son of Tom Jensen, who was literally the last detective on the Green River Killer Task Force. I grew up in the PNW, and the Green River Killer was at large from when I was ten to when I was thirty. This case inspired many aspects of my Archie Sheridan series—including the notion of spending a career looking for one killer and the obsession that might stem from that.

I know a lot about this case, but seeing it in graphic novel form and from the POV of the kid of a pivotal detective was such an eye-opener. It’s a chilling book and a reminder of the humanity at the periphery of these crimes. 

By Jeff Jensen, Jonathan Case,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The story of one of America's most notorious serial killers and the true detective who cracked the case is revealed in this true-crime graphic novel unlike any other! New introduction by Brian Michael Bendis.

Throughout the 1980s, the highest priority of Seattle-area police was the apprehension of the Green River Killer, the man responsible for the murders of dozens of women. In 1990, with the body count numbering at least forty-eight, the case was put in the hands of a single detective, Tom Jensen. After twenty years, when the killer was finally captured with the help of DNA technology, Jensen…


Book cover of The Mermaids Singing

Chelsea Cain Why did I love this book?

I have said this before, but if there had been a fourth book in this series in 2004, I would not have written Heartsick and would not have had a career. I love Val’s Tony Hill/Carol Jordan books. They are the blueprint for all thrillers. 

She doesn’t hold back on the violence but finds these incredibly intimate character moments that tremble my heart.

By Val McDermid,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Mermaids Singing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this special 20th anniversary edition, Lee Child introduces the Gold Dagger award-winning serial killer thriller that began the Number One bestselling crime series featuring clinical psychologist Dr Tony Hill, hero of TV's much-loved Wire in the Blood.

You always remember the first time. Isn't that what they say about sex? How much more true it is of murder...

Up till now, the only serial killers Tony Hill had encountered were safely behind bars. This one's different - this one's on the loose.

Four men have been found mutilated and tortured. As fear grips the city, the police turn to…


Book cover of Rush of Blood

Chelsea Cain Why did I love this book?

I generally shy away from stand-alone thrillers. Especially because Mark has so many great series novels, it makes thrillers less scary if I know there’s another one on the shelf (someone lives!). But I loved this book. It’s the perfect stand-alone: a great set-up, great characters, great twists, and a satisfying ending. 

By Mark Billingham,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Rush of Blood as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this 'chilling story that keeps you guessing to the last page', three couples who befriend each other on holiday may be hiding sinister secrets from each other (Daily Express)

Three couples meet around the pool on their Florida holiday and become fast friends. But on their last night, their perfect holiday takes a tragic twist: the teenage daughter of another holidaymaker goes missing, and her body is later found floating in the mangroves.

When the shocked couples return home, they remain in contact, and over the course of three increasingly fraught dinner parties they come to know one another…


Book cover of The Ice Princess

Chelsea Cain Why did I love this book?

Camilla is the so-called Queen of Nordic Noir. I got way into her books during the pandemic, which is to say I read every single one of them right after the other while I had a fever. The great thing about the Scandinavians is that they describe truly horrible happenings matter-of-factly.

I love Camilla’s books because she also adds another tension – my favorite kind of tension – the “when will the protagonists kiss?”. I will endure the most gruesome crime scenes because I’m invested in a relationship, and her series pays this off over and over.

By Camilla Läckberg, Steven T. Murray (translator),

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Ice Princess as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“A top-notch thriller, one of the best of the genre” (Minneapolis Star Tribune) from international crime-writing sensation Camilla Läckberg tells the story of brutal murders in a small Swedish fishing village, and the shattering, decades-old secrets that precipitated them.

In this electrifying tale of suspense from an international crime-writing sensation, a grisly death exposes the dark heart of a Scandinavian seaside village. Erica Falck returns to her tiny, remote hometown of Fjällbacka, Sweden, after her parents’ deaths only to encounter another tragedy: the suicide of her childhood best friend, Alex. It’s Erica herself who finds Alex’s body—suspended in a bathtub…


Book cover of The Whisper Man

Chelsea Cain Why did I love this book?

I bought this book when it first came out because it was a “staff pick” at my local independent bookstore, and boy, did it not disappoint, so I am going to make it my “staff pic” here. There’s nothing better than a personal recommendation, right?

This book has it all: a sensitive, grieving male protagonist with a dead wife, a woman who may or may not be dangerous, and a creepy kid who may or may not be communicating with ghosts. All this! AND murder! It also pulls off a marvelous point-of-view trick that sticks the landing in a way that writing nerds will applaud.

By Alex North,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The biggest new thriller of the year - pre-order the paperback now

"The best crime novel of the decade" Steve Cavanagh

You'll hear the whispers. And then you'll hear the screams...

Still devastated after the loss of his wife, Tom Kennedy and his young son Jake move to the sleepy village of Featherbank, looking for a fresh start.

But Featherbank has a dark past. Fifteen years ago a twisted serial killer abducted and murdered five young boys. Until he was finally caught, the killer was known as 'The Whisper Man'.

Of course, an old crime need not trouble Tom and…


Explore my book 😀

Heartsick

By Chelsea Cain,

Book cover of Heartsick

What is my book about?

My book is the first in my NYT best-selling six-book Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell thriller series. Detective Archie Sheridan was on the task force hunting serial killer Gretchen Lowell for a decade before she abducted him, tortured him for ten days, then mysteriously let him go and turned herself in.

Now, after a year of medical leave, he’s back on the job to investigate another series of murders in Portland, Oregon. Haunted by his experience with Gretchen, he still visits her in prison as part of a project to identify her victims. He thinks she can help find this new killer, and he’s willing to risk his mental health to do it. 

Book cover of Green River Killer
Book cover of The Mermaids Singing
Book cover of Rush of Blood

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Why am I passionate about this?

Author Storyteller Historian Walking enthusiast Yogi

Mary's 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

Miranda falls in love with her dream house but soon discovers it's an affair with complications. A lot of them. Rosewood is a centuries old, tumble-down, gambrel roofed charmer located in an isolated, coastal corner of Virginia referred to as "strange". Known for long-standing and antiquated customs, an almost indecipherable brogue and possible witchcraft connections, Miranda shrugs all locational concerns aside to pursue her new love.

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Miranda falls in love with her dream house but soon discovers it's an affair with complications. A lot of them. Rosewood is a centuries old, tumble-down, gambrel roofed charmer located in an isolated, coastal corner of Virginia referred to as ""strange"". Known for long-standing and antiquated customs, an almost indecipherable brogue and possible witchcraft connections, Miranda shrugs all locational concerns aside to pursue her new love.

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