The best books with surprise suspense twists

Kayla Perrin Author Of We'll Never Tell
By Kayla Perrin

Who am I?

I’m absolutely passionate about suspense stories, especially ones with killer twists. Maybe it’s all the crime shows I watch, but the motives for crimes are so wide and varied, and I love when the unexpected is explored in fiction. I’m also intrigued by stories about missing people and the myriad of reasons behind why they go missing–especially when things aren’t always what they seem. Whether it’s the missing who return years later or hints of them suddenly appear, I can’t help but get wrapped up in a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat guessing what might happen next! I try for great twists in my novels.

I wrote...

We'll Never Tell

By Kayla Perrin,

Book cover of We'll Never Tell

What is my book about?

It was supposed to be a simple plan. Teach Shandra James, the man-stealing pledge at the sorority house, a lesson in respect. It was supposed to be a night of humiliation and nothing more. Only Shandra ends up dead. And now the sorority sisters who are behind the hazing event know they can never say a word about what happened. But it soon becomes clear that someone knows their deadly secret. Someone who is willing to kill.

Shepherd is reader supported.
We may earn an affiliate commission when you buy through links on our website. This is how we fund the project for readers and authors along with our membership program.

The books I picked & why

Find You First

By Linwood Barclay,

Book cover of Find You First

Why this book?

It’s hard to find a suspense novel with a unique twist and this one hits the mark. Nine children who are the product of a sperm donor end up in peril when the donor father seeks them out to leave his massive fortune after he faces a devastating diagnosis. Who wants to kill the children and why? There are so many twists and turns in this one. Like, a ton! I love to guess where an author is going with a story, and I thought I had this one fully figured out, but I was wrong–and I was happy that I was wrong. Barclay keeps the twists coming until the very end! This is an amazing read.

Find You First

By Linwood Barclay,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Find You First as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One will change your life. One will end it.
Who will ... FIND YOU FIRST?

'The best book of his career' STEPHEN KING
'Insanely paced, wildly entertaining' JOE HILL
'A full-throttle powerhouse of a thriller' T.M. LOGAN
'Sharply drawn' SUNDAY TIMES
'Keeps the engine racing' THE TIMES

It's a deadly race against time...

Tech billionaire Miles has more money than he can ever spend, but he can't buy more time. Diagnosed with a terminal illness, he is forced to take a long, hard look at his past.

Somewhere out there, Miles has children who don't know it, but they might…

Explore
Topics
Genres

Paranoia

By Joseph Finder,

Book cover of Paranoia

Why this book?

I picked this book up because it was super cheap in hardcover. It had an interesting premise with a suspense set in the business world between two competing companies. Not typically my thing, but I gave it a chance because of the price. Once I started to read it, Joseph Finder became one of my favorite authors. I could not put this down and read it in three days. It had me on the edge of my seat as the main character has to infiltrate another company, and OMG, the twist at the end! I loved this book so much that I decided to attend the Thrillerfest conference in Phoenix that year because Joseph Finder would be there. Yep, that’s how much I loved the book. I met him and gushed like a fool!

Paranoia

By Joseph Finder,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

From the writer whose novels have been called "thrilling" (New York Times) and "dazzling" (USA Today) comes an electrifying novel, Joseph Finder's Paranoia, a roller-coaster ride of suspense that will hold the reader hostage until the final, astonishing twist.

Now a major motion-picture starring Harrison Ford, Liam Hemsworth, and Gary Oldman.

Adam Cassidy is twenty-six and a low-level employee at a high-tech corporation who hates his job. When he manipulates the system to do something nice for a friend, he finds himself charged with a crime. Corporate Security gives him a choice: prison - or become a spy in the…

Explore
Topics
Genres

Envy

By Sandra Brown,

Book cover of Envy

Why this book?

I don’t even remember everything about this book, except that this was the book that made me an instant Sandra Brown fan. In Envy, a NY book editor is riveted by the tale of an unsolicited manuscript and begins working with the author…only to learn along the way that this story reveals a long-concealed crime. I’ve read it twice, years apart, and I’m due for another reading. It’s that good. Explosive is the only way to describe this suspenseful story with an amazing twist at the end! One of my absolute favs!

Envy

By Sandra Brown,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

In this explosive New York Times bestselling thriller, a New York City-based book editor travels to a Southern island to meet a mysterious author -- but she's about to uncover a shocking truth about a carefully concealed crime.
Maris Matherly-Reed is a renowned New York book editor, the daughter of a publisher and the wife of a bestselling author. It's rare for an unsolicited manuscript to pique her interest, but a new submission with blockbuster potential inspires her to search for the book's elusive author.
On an obscure island off the Georgia coast, amidst the ruins of an eerie cotton…

Explore
Topics
Genres

Gone For Good

By Harlan Coben,

Book cover of Gone For Good

Why this book?

Honestly, I could choose so many of Harlan Coben’s books. I love books about missing people–or people who are allegedly missing, disappeared years ago–but are they really gone? What happened? The guessing, the twists, the unraveling of the mystery hooks me from the beginning until the end. That’s what Coben does well with his stories about missing people, and in Gone For Good the secret of why the brother is missing and apparently–and surprisingly–not dead pulls you into a big, juicy mystery with tons of twists and turns. 

Gone For Good

By Harlan Coben,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Will Klein lost the love of his life and his brother in the same moment ... A superb thriller from the No.1 bestselling author.

On October 17, eleven years ago, Julie Miller was found brutally strangled in the basement of her house in the township of Livingston, New Jersey. On that day, Will's brother, Ken Klein, became the subject of an international manhunt accused of the crime. He has not been seen since.

Will has tried to get on with his life in the intervening years. He has a beautiful new girlfriend, Sheila, and a job working with the homeless.…

Explore
Topics
Genres

House on Fire

By Joseph Finder,

Book cover of House on Fire

Why this book?

All of the authors I love do twists really well, twists that make sense and blow you away–no matter how much you try to guess them. This story is set in the world of addictive pharmaceuticals and the desire to make a corrupt company that’s hiding secrets pay for the deaths of innocent patients. A whistleblower is killed early in this story, and this sets everything off. It’s fast-paced with so much action, including bullets flying in the Caribbean as the main characters risk their lives to get incriminating evidence. The ending…oooh, it doesn’t get better than a Joseph Finder twist!

House on Fire

By Joseph Finder,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked House on Fire as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In New York Times bestselling author Joseph Finder's electrifying new thriller, private investigator Nick Heller infiltrates a powerful wealthy family hiding something sinister.

Nick Heller is at the top of his game when he receives some devastating news: his old army buddy Sean has died of an overdose. Sean, who once saved Nick’s life, got addicted to opioids after returning home wounded from war. 

Then at Sean’s funeral, a stranger approaches Nick with a job, and maybe also a way for Nick to hold someone accountable.

The woman is the daughter of a pharmaceutical kingpin worth billions. Now she wants…

Explore
Topics
Genres

5 book lists we think you will like!

The best psychological thrillers where women become strong
The best books for intriguing whodunits
The best suspense books with a romance to die for – literally...someone is going to die
The best romantic suspense books that feature forced proximity as a trope
The best gripping romantic suspense novels loaded with heart

Interested in suspense, Boston, and brothers?

8,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about suspense, Boston, and brothers.

Suspense Explore 1,477 books about suspense
Boston Explore 138 books about Boston
Brothers Explore 79 books about brothers

And, 3 books we think you will enjoy!

We think you will like Deal Breaker, Plum Island, and Rules of Prey if you like this list.

Book cover of Deal Breaker Book cover of Plum Island Book cover of Rules of Prey