Fans pick 97 books like Shiver

By Karen Robards,

Here are 97 books that Shiver fans have personally recommended if you like Shiver. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Gone Too Far

Kel O'Connor Author Of Broken Bits

From my list on romantic suspense with forced proximity as a trope.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a fan of romantic suspense since I was a teen (many decades ago) and started writing my DAG Team Series in 2016. I adore everything about this genre – the puzzles, the intrigue and how they affect the budding relationship between the main characters. Dating is difficult when you are trying to catch a killer or on the run! Despite the central mystery, the focus is on the romance between the couple. The issues serve to add a layer of non-sexual tension. 

Kel's book list on romantic suspense with forced proximity as a trope

Kel O'Connor Why did Kel love this book?

To get the full story of Sam and Alyssa’s love story, start with the 1st book in the Troubleshooters series, The Unsung Hero. However, this is the best book of that series! Former lovers, they now need to work together to solve a complex case that puts them on the run. Forced Proximity is my favorite romance trope.

By Suzanne Brockmann,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Troubleshooters: They Never Let You Down. The sixth addictive romantic suspense novel in New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooters series, filled with thrilling adventure, excitement and passion. In GONE TOO FAR, ex-lovers Lieutenant Sam Starrett and FBI agent Alyssa Locke find that sometimes the only way to the truth is to break the law...

Whilst Lieutenant Sam Starrett's career as a Navy SEAL has gone from strength to strength, his private life has turned into a mess. Waiting for his divorce papers was always going to be tough but Sam's life turns into a nightmare when he arrives…


Book cover of Shadows At Sunset

Kel O'Connor Author Of Broken Bits

From my list on romantic suspense with forced proximity as a trope.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a fan of romantic suspense since I was a teen (many decades ago) and started writing my DAG Team Series in 2016. I adore everything about this genre – the puzzles, the intrigue and how they affect the budding relationship between the main characters. Dating is difficult when you are trying to catch a killer or on the run! Despite the central mystery, the focus is on the romance between the couple. The issues serve to add a layer of non-sexual tension. 

Kel's book list on romantic suspense with forced proximity as a trope

Kel O'Connor Why did Kel love this book?

Every one of her romantic suspense books is a masterpiece! Coltrane cares for nothing and no one until he meets Jilly and Jilly cares too much for her messy family and the crumbling Hollywood mansion they live in. There is a fun secondary mystery and love story involving the two ghosts who died in the house.

By Anne Stuart,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

House of Shadows
The house on Sunset Boulevard has witnessed everything: from the infamous murder-suicide of a ’50s starlet and her lover, to the drug-fueled commune in the ’60s, to the anguish of its present owner, Jilly Meyer, who is struggling to preserve the house and what’s left of her wounded family.

Man of Shadows
Coltrane is a liar, a con man and a threat to everything Jilly holds dear. He is also her hated father’s right-hand man, a gorgeous, loathsome snake who doesn’t care whom he uses to get what he wants. And he’s made it clear he wants…


Book cover of Thick as Thieves

Kel O'Connor Author Of Broken Bits

From my list on romantic suspense with forced proximity as a trope.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a fan of romantic suspense since I was a teen (many decades ago) and started writing my DAG Team Series in 2016. I adore everything about this genre – the puzzles, the intrigue and how they affect the budding relationship between the main characters. Dating is difficult when you are trying to catch a killer or on the run! Despite the central mystery, the focus is on the romance between the couple. The issues serve to add a layer of non-sexual tension. 

Kel's book list on romantic suspense with forced proximity as a trope

Kel O'Connor Why did Kel love this book?

Another author who always hits the mark! This is one of her newest books and I was blown away by all the twists that came out of nowhere. The couple must team up to find out who the killer was from a decades-old robbery that affected them both.

By Sandra Brown,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

In this tantalizing thriller from a #1 New York Times bestselling author, a woman uncovers lifelong secrets as she searches for the truth behind her father's involvement in a heist gone wrong.

Twenty years ago in the dead of night, four seemingly random individuals pulled the ultimate heist and almost walked away with half a million dollars. But by daybreak, their plan had been shot to hell. One of them was in the hospital. One was in jail. One was dead. And one got away with it.

Arden Maxwell, the daughter of the man who disappeared all those years ago—presumably…


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Book cover of Returning to Eden

Returning to Eden By Rebecca Hartt,

Looking for clean romantic suspense with spiritual undertones?

Look no further than the Acts of Valor series by Rebecca Hartt. With thousands of reviews and 4.7-5.0 stars per book, this 6-book series is a must-read for readers searching for memorable, well-told stories by an award-winning author.

A dead man stands…

Book cover of A Thin Dark Line

Kel O'Connor Author Of Broken Bits

From my list on romantic suspense with forced proximity as a trope.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a fan of romantic suspense since I was a teen (many decades ago) and started writing my DAG Team Series in 2016. I adore everything about this genre – the puzzles, the intrigue and how they affect the budding relationship between the main characters. Dating is difficult when you are trying to catch a killer or on the run! Despite the central mystery, the focus is on the romance between the couple. The issues serve to add a layer of non-sexual tension. 

Kel's book list on romantic suspense with forced proximity as a trope

Kel O'Connor Why did Kel love this book?

The first in the Doucet series and a real nail-biter. A killer has been set free and the couple must team up to catch him. The trail leads them through the bayous of Louisiana and the author does a great job at escalating the tension between them and the environment. 

By Tami Hoag,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Thin Dark Line as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A botched investigation - and a killer walks free...

The death of a beautiful woman ... an arrogant man who claimed to be her suitor but was probably her murderer ... a cop accused of planting evidence ... and a town steeped in secrets and shadows.

Deputy Annie Broussard is still haunted by the case of Pamela Bichon. The killer walked free, and Annie can't forget the sight of Pamela's mutilated body.

But her obsessive search for justice lands her with a dilemma where she must defend or accuse a fellow cop ...


Book cover of Not a Happy Family

Patricia Hale Author Of Scar Tissue

From my list on suspense/crime with flawed detectives.

Why am I passionate about this?

All of the books I’ve listed above have flawed characters. Characters that deal with emotional and/or moral dilemmas. The plots: murder, missing children, or runaway husbands are secondary to me. What I look for in a book and what I write about in my Cole and Callahan series, are characters with flaws. People who struggle with truth. Cops or investigators that hide or skew evidence because the truth would cause more harm than good. It’s the moral dilemma I want. The angst we all feel when we are faced with a particularly painful decision. That’s what real life is and that’s what brings a book and a character to life.

Patricia's book list on suspense/crime with flawed detectives

Patricia Hale Why did Patricia love this book?

Not A Happy Family is a Domestic Suspense novel. The Mertons have everything, money, a beautiful home, and plenty of vacations. So why, after Easter dinner with their three children are they found dead? The kids are distraught. Or are they? What childhood secrets do each of them carry and is one of them murderously vindictive? I come from a big family and always enjoy reading about dysfunctional families. Luckily, my own family was only semi-dysfunctional for the most part. Nothing I needed to kill my parents over.

By Shari Lapena,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Not a Happy Family as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

Another thrilling domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door

"Lapena is a master of manipulation. With her latest page-turning thriller... she is once again at the top of her game." -USA Today

"In this fast-paced, twisted family saga, Shari Lapena keeps you guessing until the very last page..." -Paula Hawkins

In this family, everyone is keeping secrets-even the dead.

Brecken Hill in upstate New York is an expensive place to live. You have to be rich to have a house there, and Fred and Sheila Merton…


Book cover of Silk and Stone

Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy Author Of Tall, Dark, and Cherokee

From my list on Native American romantic suspense.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a lifelong history lover. I was the kid who hung around the feet of the elders, listening to their stories and learning about the past. That led to a deep interest in tracing family history, which has been a passion since about the age of ten. I still can get lost for hours finding ancestors or reading about their lives. That interest led me to a double major in college and I earned a Bachelor of Arts in both history and English with a two-year degree in journalism. I live a short distance from Oklahoma and one of my favorite pastimes is to go to powwows whenever possible.

Lee Ann's book list on Native American romantic suspense

Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy Why did Lee Ann love this book?

It's a heart-wrenching tale of lost love and a second chance at happiness with edge-of-the-chair suspense. It appeals to me because I have some Cherokee heritage which resonates. I love second chance at romance stories because I married the man I fell in love with in high school – at the age of 32!

By Deborah Smith,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

He was home from prison.
Ten years compressed in the nerve-racking space of a few seconds.
This tall, broad-shouldered stranger was her husband. Every memory she had of his appearance was there, stamped with a brutal decade of maturity, but there. Except for the look in his eyes. Nothing had ever been bleak and hard about him before. He stared at her with an intensity that could have burned her shadow on the floor.
Words were hopeless, but all that they had. “Welcome back,” she said. Then, brokenly, “Jake.”
He took a deep breath, as if a shiver had run…


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Book cover of Bottled Secrets of Rosewood

Bottled Secrets of Rosewood By Mary Kendall,

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…

Book cover of The Hidden Gate

Bettie Boswell Author Of Stolen Gift Exchange: A Christmas in Ohio Anthology Collection Story

From my list on mysteries with a touch of suspense.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a child, I read many Nancy Drew books and loved how she solved the clues. During the last couple of years I have developed a deeper interest in mystery and romantic suspense books. I enjoy trying to figure out the clues in other's tales and creating my own. The challenge is like putting a puzzle together for me when I write in this genre. Recently I wrote two short cozy mysteries and a romantic suspense that were published for the Christian market. I have a couple of cozy mystery works in progress that will soon be ready to share with readers. My other books often have hints of mysteries.

Bettie's book list on mysteries with a touch of suspense

Bettie Boswell Why did Bettie love this book?

The Hidden Gate is a sweet cozy that I found intriguing.

The story has both a contemporary setting and one from the past. The two meld together to leave the reader wondering what happened to a young girl who disappeared in the past and what her relationship to the present day characters might be.

I found myself cheering for those wronged in the past and mourning for the unfortunate child's demise. The lead characters where appealing and made great sleuths for solving the crime. 

By Marlene Chase,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Savannah Secrets: The Hidden Gate by Marlene Chase.


Book cover of Envy

Kayla Perrin Author Of We'll Never Tell

From my list on surprise suspense twists.

Why am I passionate about this?

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.

Kayla's book list on surprise suspense twists

Kayla Perrin Why did Kayla love 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!

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…


Book cover of Witch

Mary Kendall Author Of The Spinster's Fortune

From my list on vintage gothic suspense by iconic authors.

Why am I passionate about this?

Sometimes I have to take a trip back to my reading "roots": gothic mystery and suspense. This list is a deep dive into some of my very favorite vintage gothic authors and ones that I consider to be icons of the genre. These writers formed the foundation not only for my reading tastes but also for who I have become as a writer. The memories of my younger self come flooding back when I revisit these authors and their works as I have done with this list. Some of these novels are hard to come by now but, in my opinion, the older and more beat-up paperback, the better. 

Mary's book list on vintage gothic suspense by iconic authors

Mary Kendall Why did Mary love this book?

I spent so many summer afternoons as a teenager reading Barbara Michaels’ novels.

She is another writer who managed to set in stone my love and fascination for tales gothic and truly inspired and informed my own writing.

This one with a copyright of 1973 has it all. Isolated, rural setting with a historic stone cottage, creepy, almost folk horror-esque townspeople, a twisted villain, and a supernatural edge.

But it also has something that Michael’s specialized in: dialogue that captures relationships in a very approachable and identifiable way despite the vintage year.

Witch captures her mastery of the gothic and ticks all the boxes of a great read in the genre.

By Barbara Michaels,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A wonderful Gothic suspense story filled with clever twists and turns, Witch by Barbara Michaels will have you on the edge of your seat.

It was more than her dream house. For divorcee Ellen March, buying the secluded old house nestled in the pine woods marked the start of a new life. Now she could put her failed marriage behind her, enjoy the quiet solitude of small town life in Virginia, and get to know her new neighbour, the handsome Norman McKay.

But strange visions began to cloud her mind - the shadowy figure of a woman, a ghostly white…


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Book cover of Medical Hostages

Medical Hostages By Shawn Jennings,

Duke, the leader of a bike gang, is in custody for murder. He plans an escape by feigning illness and hospitalization. But an unexpected turn of events results in two gang members and Duke holding a medical floor of patients hostage. Patients will die if the police don't meet their…

Book cover of The Stone Carnation

Mary Kendall Author Of The Spinster's Fortune

From my list on vintage gothic suspense by iconic authors.

Why am I passionate about this?

Sometimes I have to take a trip back to my reading "roots": gothic mystery and suspense. This list is a deep dive into some of my very favorite vintage gothic authors and ones that I consider to be icons of the genre. These writers formed the foundation not only for my reading tastes but also for who I have become as a writer. The memories of my younger self come flooding back when I revisit these authors and their works as I have done with this list. Some of these novels are hard to come by now but, in my opinion, the older and more beat-up paperback, the better. 

Mary's book list on vintage gothic suspense by iconic authors

Mary Kendall Why did Mary love this book?

This novel put a pin on what became a life-long fascination with gothic fiction for me.

I first read it over forty years ago and it is hands-down the most memorable novel ever from my early reading diet.

Why is it so memorable? It hits all the high notes necessary for gripping suspense/mystery/romance in this genre and is laden with all the gothicky feels.

It includes a bit of the supernatural, mystery of an old gravestone, mood setting in the Virginia hills, and a heroine in a dangerous pickle.

Originally published in 1971, it is out of print now but find a copy if you can. You won’t regret it.

By Naomi A. Hintze,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Clean pages. Creases on corner of cover.


Book cover of Gone Too Far
Book cover of Shadows At Sunset
Book cover of Thick as Thieves

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