100 books like Sleep No More

By Greg Iles,

Here are 100 books that Sleep No More fans have personally recommended if you like Sleep No More. Shepherd is a community of 10,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Behind Her Eyes

Michael Laimo Author Of Missed Connection

From my list on fast-paced thriller books with romance, twists and turns, and clever writing.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I was 27, I thought it would be fun to write. I have no formal training, yet I have found success through reading exposure and trial and error for 30 years. Changing my voice was hard, but reading these books helped me define the kind of story I wanted to tell in my new novel, Missed Connection. Erotic thrillers truly are a guilty pleasure for me.

Michael's book list on fast-paced thriller books with romance, twists and turns, and clever writing

Michael Laimo Why did Michael love this book?

Sarah Pinborough made the leap from horror to thrillers and has hit it big with this incredible read. This was made into a popular Netflix series, and in this rare instance, the film remains true to the story told in the book.

With twists and turns, clever fast-paced writing, and a bit of sexiness to it, this book was also very influential in my switch from horror to erotic thrillers.

By Sarah Pinborough,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Behind Her Eyes as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Don't Trust This Book Don't Trust These People Don't Trust Yourself And whatever you do, DON'T give away that ending...

Louise

Since her husband walked out, Louise has made her son her world, supporting them both with her part-time job. But all that changes when she meets...

David

Young, successful and charming - Louise cannot believe a man like him would look at her twice let alone be attracted to her. But that all comes to a grinding halt when she meets his wife...

Adele

Beautiful, elegant and sweet - Louise's new friend seems perfect in every way. As she…


Book cover of Tell No One

Michael Laimo Author Of Missed Connection

From my list on fast-paced thriller books with romance, twists and turns, and clever writing.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I was 27, I thought it would be fun to write. I have no formal training, yet I have found success through reading exposure and trial and error for 30 years. Changing my voice was hard, but reading these books helped me define the kind of story I wanted to tell in my new novel, Missed Connection. Erotic thrillers truly are a guilty pleasure for me.

Michael's book list on fast-paced thriller books with romance, twists and turns, and clever writing

Michael Laimo Why did Michael love this book?

I love a great tale with so many twists and turns, that it keeps you guessing from chapter to chapter, and this book by Harlan Coben is the best example of this.

Coben has the uncanny ability to create plots with so many moving parts, that you’ll feel as if you’re riding the literary equivalent of a roller-coaster. I love a FAST read, and with so many twists and turns, you just HAVE to keep on reading. I love a lot of Coben’s work, but this one is a standout.

By Harlan Coben,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Tell No One as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Every year, the Doctor David Beck and his young wife, Elizabeth, meet at the same deserted lake to rediscover their love for each other, and inscribe one more year into 'their' tree. But that year was the last. Elizabeth was kidnapped and Beck knocked unconscious. By the time he woke up, his wife had been discovered dead, and horribly mutilated. For eight years he grieves. Then one afternoon, he receives an anonymous e-mail telling him to log on to a certain web-site at a certain time, using a code that only the two of them knew. The screen opens onto…


Book cover of Diary

Michael Laimo Author Of Missed Connection

From my list on fast-paced thriller books with romance, twists and turns, and clever writing.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I was 27, I thought it would be fun to write. I have no formal training, yet I have found success through reading exposure and trial and error for 30 years. Changing my voice was hard, but reading these books helped me define the kind of story I wanted to tell in my new novel, Missed Connection. Erotic thrillers truly are a guilty pleasure for me.

Michael's book list on fast-paced thriller books with romance, twists and turns, and clever writing

Michael Laimo Why did Michael love this book?

Witty writing is important to me both as a writer and a reader, and Palahniuk’s prose is sharp,  aggressive, and biting, with more wit than most writers know what to do with. It’s a hard feat as a writer to be witty and aggressive and still maintain the flow of the story, and Palahniuk does it over and over, with this book being a stand out for me.

Not too many books can make me laugh out loud, shudder, cringe, and keep turning the pages like this one did.

By Chuck Palahniuk,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Misty Wilmot has had it. Once a promising young artist, she’s now stuck on an island ruined by tourism, drinking too much and working as a waitress in a hotel. Her husband, a contractor, is in a coma after a suicide attempt, but that doesn’t stop his clients from threatening Misty with lawsuits over a series of vile messages they’ve found on the walls of houses he remodeled.

Suddenly, though, Misty finds her artistic talent returning as she begins a period of compulsive painting. Inspired but confused by this burst of creativity, she soon finds herself a pawn in a…


Book cover of You

Michael Laimo Author Of Missed Connection

From my list on fast-paced thriller books with romance, twists and turns, and clever writing.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I was 27, I thought it would be fun to write. I have no formal training, yet I have found success through reading exposure and trial and error for 30 years. Changing my voice was hard, but reading these books helped me define the kind of story I wanted to tell in my new novel, Missed Connection. Erotic thrillers truly are a guilty pleasure for me.

Michael's book list on fast-paced thriller books with romance, twists and turns, and clever writing

Michael Laimo Why did Michael love this book?

I’ve written horror all my career: seven novels, 100 short stories, and two feature films (based on my books). This book by Carolyn Kepnes made me want to switch genres.

I loved reading from the perspective of the antihero, being in his thoughts, and understanding why he was making such rash moves. 

By Caroline Kepnes,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

*** NOW A MAJOR NETFLIX SERIES ***
'Thriller of the Year' Daily Mail
'Hypnotic and scary' Stephen King
'Examines the fine line between seduction and stalking . . . Ludicrously readable' Guardian

When aspiring writer Guinevere Beck strides into the bookstore where Joe works, he is instantly smitten.

But there's more to Joe than Beck realises and much more to Beck than her perfect facade. And the obsessive relationship quickly spirals into a whirlwind of deadly consequences...

A chilling account of unrelenting, terrifying deceit, Caroline Kepnes' You is a thriller more perversely clever and dangerously twisted than any YOU have…


Book cover of In the Blood

Jenna Kernan Author Of The Nurse

From my list on psychological thrillers with a jaw-dropping twist.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a certified crime junkie beginning with Helter Skelter and, more recently, FBI profiler Jack Douglas’ Mindhunter. This genre is a passion, but here’s the kicker, I started my writing journey in Western historical romance. I know, right? Then I had this wild idea: a psychologist who’s got a secret – her mother is a notorious serial killer on death row, and someone is imitating her crimes. Just like that A Killer’s Daughter was born! Now I’m always reading and listening to thrillers and true crime podcasts. Check out my newsletter to see what’s grabbing me. 

Jenna's book list on psychological thrillers with a jaw-dropping twist

Jenna Kernan Why did Jenna love this book?

I attended an author event at the coolest bookstore in Tampa in The Exchange building, and Lisa Unger was being interviewed by Colette Bancroft, the book editor for the Tampa Times.

Well, the book sounded wonderful, and it really is. The heroine in this story is smart, clever, and managed to keep one step ahead of the unusual, troubled boy she is hired to babysit. I loved this story and now have a signed copy on my keeper shelf.

By Lisa Unger,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A Best Mystery Novel of the Year (Sun-Sentinel)

A Best Book of the Year (Suspense Magazine)

A Silver Falchion Award Winner for Best Novel

A Best Book Nominee in the Goodreads Choice Awards

A CBC Morning Show Top Book Pick

An Amazon Best Book of the Month 

An Indie Next Best Books of the Month Pick

"A brisk, crafty and fascinating psychological thriller... In The Blood is a complex mosaic as well, one that's tricky, arresting and meaningful." (The Washington Post)

Liar, liar, pants on fire . . . 

College senior Lana Granger has told so many lies about her…


Book cover of Lit

Katie Gaddini Author Of The Struggle to Stay: Why Single Evangelical Women Are Leaving the Church

From my list on women’s voices.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up reading books that featured strong women, including Little Women and Anne of Green Gables so it only made sense that I would go on to write a book featuring four strong women. As much as I love reading fiction, since I am a professor, my writing is mainly academic and/or non-fiction and I aim to make research translatable and interesting to all – including mainstream audiences. Currently, I am working on a new book about evangelical Christian women and politics, which I started in 2020 right before the presidential election. No matter where I live or work, exploring the various facets of women’s lives will remain my driving pursuit. 

Katie's book list on women’s voices

Katie Gaddini Why did Katie love this book?

Karr's memoir diverges from my other recommendations insofar as it’s a memoir and features just one woman’s voice.

I found this book while living in Madrid over a decade ago and remember sneaking out into the living room late at night to read it. Karr is a master storyteller and a master memoirist – highly relatable even if you’ve never struggled with alcoholism. 

By Mary Karr,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The long awaited sequel to the beloved and bestselling 'The Liars' Club' and 'Cherry' - a memoir about a self-professed 'blackbelt sinner's' descent into the inferno of alcoholism and madness, and her astonishing resurrection.

'If you'd told me, even a year before I start taking my son to church regular that I'd wind up whispering my sins in the confessional or on my knees saying the rosary, I would've laughed myself cockeyed. More likely pastime? Pole dancer. International spy. Drug mule. Assassin.'

Mary Karr's prizewinning 'The Liars' Club' chronicled her hardscrabble Texas childhood and sparked a renaissance in memoir, cresting…


Book cover of Superhero Therapy: Mindfulness Skills to Help Teens and Young Adults Deal with Anxiety, Depression, and Trauma

E. Paul Zehr Author Of Chasing Captain America: How Advances in Science, Engineering, and Biotechnology Will Produce a Superhuman

From my list on the superhero in you.

Why am I passionate about this?

I got hooked on superheroes from a very early age. My mom grew up in the Golden Age of comics and loved superheroes. She'd bring home a random assortment of adventures—Batman, Iron Man, Flash, Avengers, Justice League, Iron Fist, Captain America. I was especially keen on the martial arts mayhem so many could bring to bear. That got me started (and I've never stopped since) in martial arts as a teen and took me into a career in science. I bring my own interest, my knowledge of martial arts, and my extensive career and training as a sensorimotor neuroscientist as I explore the science of human achievement through the lens of comic book superheroes.

E.'s book list on the superhero in you

E. Paul Zehr Why did E. love this book?

Stories of comic book superheroes resonate in real life and this book vibed with me in a big way.

There are so many superhero origin stories that begin with childhood trauma. I loved this book because Janina Scarlet cleverly explores ways to improve mental health in younger folks with the healing power of superheroes. In so doing she probably prevents the emergence of a few more superheroes or supervillains but she helps so many along the way.

Scarlet wields her great power with responsibility in a read for all of us.

By Janina Scarlet, Wellinton Alves (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

"Psychologist Scarlet, a childhood survivor of the Chernobyl nuclear explosion, draws on the techniques of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in this innovative approach to helping readers with emotional and psychological difficulties." 
—Publishers Weekly

"Eye-catching art and a focus on setting simple, achievable daily goals, makes this a promising alternative to more conventional self-help programs."
—Booklist

Winner of the United Nations Association’s Eleonor Roosevelt Human Rights Award!

A hero’s journey always begins with a struggle—what’s yours? For the first time ever, psychologist Janina Scarlet and Marvel and DC Comics illustrator Wellinton Alves join forces to create Superhero Therapy—a dynamic, illustrated…


Book cover of Silent Cells: The Secret Drugging of Captive America

Rob Wipond Author Of Your Consent Is Not Required: The Rise in Psychiatric Detentions, Forced Treatment, and Abusive Guardianships

From my list on involuntary commitment and psychiatric treatment.

Why am I passionate about this?

My father, a college professor, sought mental health help during a difficult period—and got forcibly electroshocked. I later started doing journalism, investigating community issues such as poverty, government and business, racial conflicts, policing, and protests—wherever I looked, I’d find sources who’d been subjected to psychiatric detentions. I started to see that a far greater diversity of people were being affected than we normally realize or talk about. Over the ensuing years, I interviewed hundreds of people about their experiences of forced psychiatric interventions, and became determined to shine a brighter public light on mental health law powers. My articles have been nominated for seventeen magazine and journalism awards. 

Rob's book list on involuntary commitment and psychiatric treatment

Rob Wipond Why did Rob love this book?

Hatch did stellar research to expose how coercive psychiatric treatment—especially tranquilization with heavy antipsychotics—is spreading into nursing homes, child foster care and juvenile facilities, immigration centers, and prisons.

Antipsychotics are becoming a ‘go-to’ approach for institutional management of large populations, especially targeting people of color.

Hatch’s work also draws attention to a vital, related issue: Abundant research shows that involuntary treatment is driven by our culture’s dominant prejudices: classism, racism, sexism, sanism, etc. Predictably then, public discussions of involuntary treatment routinely lack, and desperately need, a greater diversity of voices.

So, while highlighting the work of the Black scholar Hatch, I want to also mention several recent anthologies that bring forth a fantastic diversity of voices and perspectives on contempory psychiatric care, forced treatment, and alternatives: Mad Matters: A Critical Reader in Canadian Mad Studies; Disability Incarcerated: Imprisonment and Disability in the United States and Canada, and We've…

By Anthony Ryan Hatch,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A critical investigation into the use of psychotropic drugs to pacify and control inmates and other captives in the vast U.S. prison, military, and welfare systems

For at least four decades, U.S. prisons and jails have aggressively turned to psychotropic drugs-antidepressants, antipsychotics, sedatives, and tranquilizers-to silence inmates, whether or not they have been diagnosed with mental illnesses. In Silent Cells, Anthony Ryan Hatch demonstrates that the pervasive use of psychotropic drugs has not only defined and enabled mass incarceration but has also become central to other forms of captivity, including foster homes, military and immigrant detention centers, and nursing homes.…


Book cover of Jane Eyre

Lynn Shurr Author Of Lady Flora's Rescue

From my list on historical novels picked by a librarian.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a reference librarian, I love doing research for myself and others. By reading a well-written historical novel, we can learn about the past and compare and contrast it to our present. All but the last of my choices have strong female characters who must overcome the customs of their time. The struggle goes on today. Let these books remind you of how far we have come and how far we have to go.

Lynn's book list on historical novels picked by a librarian

Lynn Shurr Why did Lynn love this book?

When I was fifteen, I stayed up reading the end of this book under the covers with a flashlight because I could not put it down.

A scandalous bestseller in 1847, this was the first romance to feature an antihero. Mr. Rochester is far from pure and kind. He mocks Jane, who describes herself as small and plain and stands up to him. He has an immoral secret and when Jane learns of it, she leaves him. I doubt I would have.

By Charlotte Brontë,

Why should I read it?

36 authors picked Jane Eyre as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

Introduction and Notes by Dr Sally Minogue, Canterbury Christ Church University College.

Jane Eyre ranks as one of the greatest and most perennially popular works of English fiction. Although the poor but plucky heroine is outwardly of plain appearance, she possesses an indomitable spirit, a sharp wit and great courage.

She is forced to battle against the exigencies of a cruel guardian, a harsh employer and a rigid social order. All of which circumscribe her life and position when she becomes governess to the daughter of the mysterious, sardonic and attractive Mr Rochester.

However, there is great kindness and warmth…


Book cover of Lost Kites and Other Treasures

Sara Zarr Author Of Kyra, Just for Today

From my list on not sugarcoating childhood.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was raised in a home where one parent was an acute alcoholic and the other parent was the child of an acute alcoholic, codependency and boundary issues flourished, and there was a touch of end-times religion to top it all off. This made me a kid who was highly tuned in to everything going on around me as a way to maintain a sense of control. Though that probably wasn’t the best thing for my emotional development, it’s turned me into a writer who strives to delve into the authentic human experience and a reader who wants that, too. The books on this list meet that bar!

Sara's book list on not sugarcoating childhood

Sara Zarr Why did Sara love this book?

I read this book right after I’d finished Kyra, Just for Today, and I couldn’t help but think that the star of this book, Franny, would be a great friend for Kyra. They’re both stuck in difficult situations that require them to do more than a kid should have to do. I always resonate with that kind of character because I was forced into more responsibility than I wanted at that age, too, as so many kids are.

I loved the buoyancy of this story and watching Franny find her way through the mess.

By Cathy Carr,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Lost Kites and Other Treasures as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, 5, and 6.

What is this book about?

Cathy Carr'sLost Kites and Other Treasures is a moving and heartfelt middle-grade novel about mental illness, the transformative power of art, and the ever-changing complications and joys of family life.

Twelve-year-old Franny Petroski never lets anyone know how often she thinks of the charismatic, troubled mom who left her years ago-any more than she talks about the unaccountable things Mom did while she was still in the picture. Life with Nana is safe and secure, and Franny's innovative art projects fill in any lonesome times.

But when Nana has an accident and Franny's estranged uncle comes home to help out…


5 book lists we think you will like!

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