The best romantic suspense books with real-life characters you'll still be thinking about weeks later

Why am I passionate about this?

My administrative career covered a mix of legal and hospital work which provided a wealth of real-life scenarios to fuel my own convoluted story ideas. Thrilled to take early retirement and pursue a writing career, I have since published five romantic suspense novels. I strive to produce quality stories on par with the countless amazing romantic suspense authors I have enjoyed since my teen years. Storyline prompts surround us. A dark bunkie, screaming neighbor, or even an oddly shaped bag of garbage can trigger my suspicion. My favorite spot to walk is the peaceful shores of Lake Huron, where my twisted imagination soars, and my best stories come to life.


I wrote...

Tangled Lies

By Sue Jaskula,

Book cover of Tangled Lies

What is my book about?

One homeless teenager inadvertently kicks off a real-life game of hide and seek, trapping opponents in a web of tangled lies. Navigating the maze of her newly single life, Chelsea Gray soon discovers her ex-boyfriend was not the only one hiding a deadly secret. Encountering deceit at every turn, how far will she go to uncover the truth before the lies unravel her?

Charismatic Detective Ry James and his partner race against time to hunt down players who make a living by hiding victims in plain sight. While solving the dangerous connections, love is the last thing Ry expected to find. Who can he trust? Who can he protect? And what will happen if he is found first?

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Going to Beautiful

Sue Jaskula Why did I love this book?

Diverse characters who feel like friends; a picturesque town that will have you checking Google maps for your next road trip; a murder; an unexpected love story; what is not to love about this book?

This is my favorite read of the year. I still envision the characters months after reading, as if I visited “Beautiful” on a wild adventure to solve a mystery and met an eclectic bunch of new travel mates along the way. The ending will surprise you in more ways than one. An easy, solid 5+ stars for this one.

By Anthony Bidulka,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Going to Beautiful as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

International chef Jake Hardy has it all. Celebrity, thriving career, plenty of friends, a happy family and faithful dog. Until one day when a tragic accident tears it all apart. Struggling to recover, Hardy finds himself in a strange new world—a snow-swept prairie town that time forgot—a place where nothing makes sense. Cold is beautiful. Simple is complex. And doubts begin to surface about whether Jake’s tragedy was truly an accident after all. As the sun sets in the Land of Living Skies, Hardy and his glamourous, seventy-eight-year-old transgender neighbour find themselves ensnared in multiple murders separated by decades. In…


Book cover of Shelter in Place

Sue Jaskula Why did I love this book?

From the first page of Shelter in Place, the characters sucked me into their lives, had me cheering for them, crying for them, and holding my breath through terrifying situations.

The feisty female main character doesn’t want romance nor rescuing but that doesn’t mean she won’t get it. The “bad guy” comes up with enough getaway tricks to rival James Bond, and will leave you asking, “wow, what next”? I read this in one riveting stretch; absolutely could not put it down.

By Nora Roberts,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Shelter in Place as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From Nora Roberts comes the #1 New York Times bestseller Shelter in Place (June 2018)―a powerful tale of heart, heroism...and propulsive suspense.

It was a typical evening at a mall outside Portland, Maine. Three teenage friends waited for the movie to start. A boy flirted with the girl selling sunglasses. Mothers and children shopped together, and the manager at the video-game store tended to customers. Then the shooters arrived.

The chaos and carnage lasted only eight minutes before the killers were taken down. But for those who lived through it, the effects would last forever. In the years that followed,…


Book cover of River of Ashes

Sue Jaskula Why did I love this book?

Young love and late-night high school parties along a riverbank create a classic setting for antics, which seem innocent enough until the dangerous bad boy, star quarterback, son of the town’s most powerful family takes over.

This explicit novel leaves the romance at the start and takes a dark twist with sibling rivalry, hidden family secrets, revenge, and triggers galore. It will have you reading long into the night to see how this party ends and trust me, it will leave a lasting impression.

By Alexandrea Weis, Lucas Astor,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

"Alexandrea Weis is one of the most talented authors around, and in a short time her novels are destined to stand along with authors such as Stephen King, Gillian Flynn, Joyce Carol Oates, and Jeffery Deaver." ~The Strand Magazine "A psychological portrait akin to Lord of the Flies." ~Midwest Book Review SOME TRUTHS ARE BETTER KEPT SECRET. SOME SECRETS ARE BETTER OFF DEAD. Along the banks of the Bogue Falaya River, sits the abandoned St. Francis Seminary. Beneath a canopy of oaks, blocked from prying eyes, the teens of St. Benedict High gather here on Fridays. The rest of the…


Book cover of The Good Daughter

Sue Jaskula Why did I love this book?

Karin Slaughter never disappoints in the psycho-thriller world of suspense novels, but this one was also gut-wrenching in the emotion department.

As always, her graphic descriptions put the reader alongside the horror, and the twists and turns leave you guessing until the last page. The reason I put this on my best romantic suspense list is not for a love story – definitely no classic romance here. It’s the author’s portrayal of the family’s emotion, specifically the dynamics between sisters.

No one writes sisters as well as Karin Slaughter. Weeks later, I’m still thinking about the two daughters in this story as if it had been a real-life incident. 

By Karin Slaughter,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Good Daughter as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The stunning standalone from the No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Will Trent and Grant County series.

One ran. One stayed. But who is...the good daughter?

Twenty-eight years ago, Charlotte and Samantha Quinn's childhoods were destroyed by a terrifying attack on their family home. It left their mother dead. It left their father - a notorious defence attorney - devastated. And it left the family consumed by secrets from that shocking night.

Twenty-eight years later, Charlie has followed in her father's footsteps to become a lawyer. But when violence comes to their home town again, the case triggers memories…


Book cover of Take Your Breath Away

Sue Jaskula Why did I love this book?

I love writing and reading twists that keep the reader guessing along with the characters.

The main character in Take Your Breath Away is accused of killing his wife years before. Once he has moved away from the town of innuendos and restarted his life, what appears to be his long-lost wife reappears, leaving him and the reader asking, “what the heck?”

It takes a lot to keep me guessing until the end of the book and this one did just that. More emotional than romantic, it’s a love story gone wrong, thrilling suspense that will keep you turning the pages long into the night.

By Linwood Barclay,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Take Your Breath Away as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A missing woman. A husband suspected.
The truth will ... Take Your Breath Away Linwood Barclay is...

'A suspense master' Stephen King
'In a class of his own' T.M. Logan
'One of the finest thriller writers in the world' Mark Billingham

It's always the husband, isn't it?

When his wife Brie vanishes from their home one night, never to be seen again, people assume Andy got away with murder. The police can't build a case against him, but still his friends and neighbours abandon him.

Six years later, Andy's life is back on track, and he's settled with a new…


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What You Do To Me: A Novel

By Rochelle B. Weinstein,

Book cover of What You Do To Me: A Novel

Rochelle B. Weinstein Author Of When We Let Go

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Not only am I the author of seven women’s fiction novels, I’m a voracious reader who believes she was raised by Judy Blume and Sidney Sheldon. In our broken home, reading was an escape, a salve for the wound, a place where I felt heard and understood. My novels touch on deep emotions—real and relatable. If I don’t capture that feeling when I’m reading through my drafts, I dig deeper. And that’s the thing about a great book, that gut punch, that slide under my skin, I get you. There’s no better read than the one that pulls the heartstrings and gives you all the feels.    

Rochelle's book list on tugging on every one of your heartstrings

What is my book about?

What You Do To Me follows Rolling Stone reporter Cecilia James on the hunt to find the muse behind a famous love song, all while managing an estranged relationship with her father and boyfriend Pete.

Inspired by Hey There Deliah, the dual timeline stretches across the sunny beaches of 1970s Miami with star-crossed lovers Eddie and Sara, to the glittery music industry of 1990s LA. For music lovers and fans of that first, unforgettable love, What You Do To Me is the story of a love song with equal parts heart and harmony.

What You Do To Me: A Novel

By Rochelle B. Weinstein,

What is this book about?

From the bestselling author of This Is Not How It Ends comes a moving novel of two unfinished love stories and the music and lyrics that bring them together.

Journalist Cecilia James is a sucker for a love song. So when she stumbles across a clue to the identity of the muse for one of rock’s greatest, she devotes herself to uncovering the truth, even as her own relationship is falling apart.

While writing an article for Rolling Stone, Cecilia works to reveal the mystery that has intrigued fans and discovers a classic tale of two soulmates separated by fate and circumstance. Rock…


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