I read to escape. Which is what I want my readers to do when they disappear into one of my psychological thrillers. One of the pure joys in life is getting so hooked on the plot of a book, you canāt tear yourself away. There canāt have been many recent times that our generation has more deserved a break from reality. A good thriller challenges the reader, turning a story on its head, and ties all loose ends together in its finale. The real world is messier. Things left unsaid. Answers never found. Maybe thatās why thrillers have become the number one bestselling genre in recent years.
Iād not read McKinty before picking this up. It was the first book I read front to back, in a day, since having kids. As I feverishly turned the pages, I felt like I was on the Island ā running from the terrifying locals that want the Baxter family dead. It doesnāt let up for a second and although it is more action-packed than my usual choice of psychological thriller, Iām so glad I gave it a chance.
The Plot: This relentless suspense thriller is set on sweltering Dutch Island, deep in the Australian outback. A shocking incident propels a vacationing family into a horrific game of cat and mouse.
Sabine commits the crime of having a deeply unlikeable main character ā but pulls it off superbly, in a central tenet of the book. This is a slow burn, but the incredible characterization pulls you through until you are so caught up in the plot, you canāt do anything but turn pages. I was devastated when it was over and wished I could start the experience all over again.
The Plot: Paul is a washed-up has-been. He is superior, a womanizer who clings to his one success in publishing over twenty years ago. He manages to worm his way onto a family holiday to get away from his housing woes. There is something oh-so enjoyable about watching him tie his own noose. This masterfully written novel is so utterly surprising it took my breath away.
The truth is, we all tell lies... take a deep breath and dive into the book everyone's raving about.
'If you've had a hole in your literary life since finishing Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, this is the book to fill it' Grazia
It starts with a lie. The kind we've all told - to a former acquaintance we can't quite place but still, for some reason, feel the need to impress. The story of our life, embellished for the benefit of the happily married lawyer with the kids and the lovely home.
On Draakensky Windmill Estate, magick and mystery rule. Sketch artist Charlotte Knight is hired to live on the estate while illustrating poetry under the direction of the reclusive spinster, and wind witch, Jaa Morlandāwho believes in ghosts. Charlotte quickly encounters the voiceā¦
I want to preface this by saying I am a huge Feeny fan. I accosted her at the Harrogate book fair this year, and she was kind enough to chat with me about writing for a glorious half hour. I love her writing. It is captivating and otherworldly. You never quite know when youāll be able to come up for air or who to trust.
The plot: A married couple spends their anniversary in the Scottish Highlands, a romantic trip away. But things begin to get disturbing. Peppered through the present-day narrative are letters the wife has written to her other half at the end of each year. Try not to get a paper cut when reading this excellent escapist read.
āFeeney lives up to her reputation as the āqueen of the twistāā¦This page-turner will keep you guessing.ā āReal Simple Think you know the person you married? Think againā¦
Things have been wrong with Mr and Mrs Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter Adam Wright has lived with face blindness his whole life. He canāt recognize friends or family, or even his own wife.
Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts--paper, cotton, pottery, tin--and eachā¦
I love a little horror in my thrillers and this look at a deeply layered dysfunctional family is one of the creepiest Iāve read. Catrionaās writing is disturbing (in the best possible way), her use of metaphors evokes exactly the right image and Iām incredibly jealous of her talent. This book takes you places. Dark places. But itās worth it. Even Stephen King himself said - āDO NOT MISS THIS BOOK. Authentically terrifying.ā
The Plot: Rob is worried about her eldest daughter Callie. She collects bones and oddities and talks to imaginary friends. She decides to take her on a mother and daughter trip to Sundial, her family ranch where she grew up. But Callie begins to worry about her mother's behaviour - digging holes in the garden in the middle of the night and other unhinged behaviour...
āDO NOT MISS THIS BOOK. Authentically terrifying.ā āStephen King
Sharp as a snakebite, Sundial is a gripping novel about the secrets we bury from the ones we love most, from Catriona Ward, the author of The Last House on Needless Street.
You can't escape what's in your blood...
Rob has spent her life running from Sundial, the familyās ranch deep in the Mojave Desert, and her childhood memories.
But sheās worried about her daughter, Callie, who collects animal bones and whispers to imaginary friends. It reminds her of a darkness that runs in her family, and Rob knows itās timeā¦
A contemporary romance novel about second chances, love in the workplace, and balancing single parenthood with a career. Bailey Grant and Fox Goodman have given up on love. Theyāre working hard, theyāre raising kidsāromance is the last thing on their minds. Until they get seated next to each other onā¦
This book got me out of a huge reading slump during the pandemic. My concentration span was shot. I hadnāt been able to complete more than a few pages before discarding. This was a bestselling debut and honestly, it is easy to understand why.
The Plot: Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who elbows himself into the opportunity to work with a secure forensic unit patient who hasnāt spoken since shooting her husband. Theo is determined to get her to talk. What a great hook. The chapters are short and punchy. Theo is incredibly likable, and you root for him. Plus, the ending is clever and satisfying.
"An unforgettableāand Hollywood-boundānew thriller... A mix of Hitchcockian suspense, Agatha Christie plotting, and Greek tragedy." āEntertainment Weekly
The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller of a womanās act of violence against her husbandāand of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive.
Alicia Berensonās life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of Londonās most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him fiveā¦
Lauren can't wait to leave London for a fresh start in the countryside with her new partner Paul and his two young children. She never thought she'd be so lucky. A dream glass house in the woods, a ready-made family, a second chance. But as dark rumours swirl about their new home, Lauren begins to question their happily ever after. When they met, she was at her most vulnerable. She would trust Paul with her life. But should she?
Historical fiction inspired by the story of Mary Leakey, who carved her own path to become one of the world's most distinguished paleoanthropologists.
It's 1983 and seventeen-year-old Grace Clark has just lost her mother when she begrudgingly accompanies her estranged father to an archeological dig at Olduvai Gorge on theā¦
Ron Burley has a rule against messing around with married women, but lovely Lavender has convinced him to break it. Their steamy affair sets someone off, but it isnāt Lavenderās clueless husbandāitās Marta, Burleyās clingy childhood friend and ex-lover.