Love What Happened to the Bennetts? Readers share 100 books like What Happened to the Bennetts...

By Lisa Scottoline,

Here are 100 books that What Happened to the Bennetts fans have personally recommended if you like What Happened to the Bennetts. 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 A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

Rebecca Fjelland Davis Author Of Chasing AllieCat

From my list on young go-getters remaining loyal to friends.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was a marathon runner, and then I became a cyclist and started racing bicycles, especially ultra events: 24-hour and 12-hour races. I love activities that require guts and perseverance. Characters who dig deep to accomplish what they want are the ones with whom I want to spend my reading and writing time. 

Writing a book, doing good research, and being a good friend require the same characteristics. I know the healing power of activity and of pushing ourselves to excellence. I also know the huge benefit of finding friends who share our passions. When weā€™ve got those things, we can heal, we can strive, and we can thrive.  

Rebecca's book list on young go-getters remaining loyal to friends

Rebecca Fjelland Davis Why did Rebecca love this book?

I love Pippa, the main character, and just want to hang out with her non-stop. Like in my book, the main character is searching desperately for another young woman who has disappeared. Along the way, Pippa gets more and more drawn to the guy sheā€™s searching withā€”just like Sadie does, which, for me, added to the excitement and the non-stop page-turning element.

But the search is full of heart-stopping moments of danger. I couldnā€™t put this down. Itā€™s a thriller, a mystery, and full of friendship and love. The best possible combination!

By Holly Jackson,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked A Good Girl's Guide to Murder as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

THE MUST-READ MULTIMILLION BESTSELLING MYSTERY SERIESā€¢ Everyone is talking about A Good Girl's Guide to Murder! With shades of Serial and Making a Murderer this is the story about an investigation turned obsession, full of twists and turns and with an ending you'll never expect.

Everyone in Fairview knows the story.

Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town.

But she can't shake the feeling that there was moreā€¦


Book cover of Ruthless Creatures

Shan R.K Author Of Capo Dei Capi

From my list on crime fiction that will leave you breathless.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was always a peculiar child with no friends, so I found my friends in books. As I got older I turned to writing my own. I wrote many stories, until one night I wrote my first book. It was paranormal fiction. Quite horrid actually. However, it started my obsession with crime romance. I love romance, but I find them a bit dull at times, but a crime novel never leaves me wanting. I decided to join the two worlds, and create my own. It's the reason even after 20 books published, my books are all linked to the biggest crime of all. But that is a secret you need to figure out for yourself.

Shan's book list on crime fiction that will leave you breathless

Shan R.K Why did Shan love this book?

When all is not as it seems, and you fall in love with what you donā€™t know. Faced with a choice, what will you choose?

I chose Ruthless Creatures because it is a crime fiction about love, desire, and growth. Our first choice is not always our best. We sometimes fail to understand why. The more you read, the deeper your understanding grows. 

Personally, I love the thrill of an idea, of loving someone who is dark and mysterious. Kage was that for Nat, and he hid a big secret, whether they overcame it or not. Well, you would need to find out for yourself.

This book taught me that we donā€™t really know to who we open our hearts to until itā€™s too late.

By J.T. Geissinger,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

An Amazon Top 10 bestselling series with more than 2 million copies sold worldwide
Winner of the Holt Medallion for Best Erotic Romance

Five years ago, my fiancĆ© disappeared. He left me with a wedding dress Iā€™d never wear. Left me with the kind of scars that canā€™t be healed. The man I built my future on vanished like a ghost. All that remained were my broken heart and a million unanswered questions.

Until a mysterious stranger arrives in town.

Tall, dark, and dangerous, Kage is as full of secrets as he is sex appeal. Though I know heā€™s hidingā€¦


Book cover of The Wife Before

Shan R.K Author Of Capo Dei Capi

From my list on crime fiction that will leave you breathless.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was always a peculiar child with no friends, so I found my friends in books. As I got older I turned to writing my own. I wrote many stories, until one night I wrote my first book. It was paranormal fiction. Quite horrid actually. However, it started my obsession with crime romance. I love romance, but I find them a bit dull at times, but a crime novel never leaves me wanting. I decided to join the two worlds, and create my own. It's the reason even after 20 books published, my books are all linked to the biggest crime of all. But that is a secret you need to figure out for yourself.

Shan's book list on crime fiction that will leave you breathless

Shan R.K Why did Shan love this book?

I read this book a few months ago. I was looking for a psychological thriller. And to an extent it was, but it is definitely a crime read that will leave you breathless. 

The story for me was just brilliant. It helps you understand the mind of a second wife to the point of obsession. How we tend to over analyse everything, scrutinize the very basis of what is real and not. 

There is a thin line between perception and misconception. I learned sometimes that the deeper you dwell on finding something that is wrong, the further away from the truth you go.

By Shanora Williams,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

"Samira Wilder has never had it easy, and when her latest lousy job goes south, things only promise to get harder. Until she unexpectedly meets a man who will change her life forever. Renowned pro golfer Roland Graham is wealthy, handsome, and caring, and Samira is dazzled. Best of all, he seems to understand her better than anyone ever has. And though their relationship moves a bit fast, when Roland proposes, Samira accepts. She even agrees to relocate to his secluded Colorado mansion. After all, there's nothing to keep her in Miami, and the mansion clearly makes him happy. Soon,ā€¦


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Book cover of The Widow Maker

The Widow Maker by Janet Fix,

Liza Oā€™Connell was a horror buff in every sense of the word. But there was one deadly nightmare she would never be able to talk about ā€¦ her own. A friend murdered. A business in trouble. A marriage struggling to survive. And thatā€™s just the beginning. 

When salon owner Carrieā€¦

Book cover of Bound to Cruelty

Shan R.K Author Of Capo Dei Capi

From my list on crime fiction that will leave you breathless.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was always a peculiar child with no friends, so I found my friends in books. As I got older I turned to writing my own. I wrote many stories, until one night I wrote my first book. It was paranormal fiction. Quite horrid actually. However, it started my obsession with crime romance. I love romance, but I find them a bit dull at times, but a crime novel never leaves me wanting. I decided to join the two worlds, and create my own. It's the reason even after 20 books published, my books are all linked to the biggest crime of all. But that is a secret you need to figure out for yourself.

Shan's book list on crime fiction that will leave you breathless

Shan R.K Why did Shan love this book?

I have a thing for Mafia crime books, and I have read plenty. My reason for choosing Bound to Cruelty was because it is still fresh in my mind. I read it three months ago. And it was cruel, brutal but so deliciously breathtaking. 

How do you know when you are wrong for someone? When do death and honor intertwine? How do you face yourself, and the one you love, knowing you are the biggest monster? 

This book was brilliant because the characters are so well developed, that you are transformed into a world that is thrilling. 

A must-read if you love Crime romance.

By J.L. Beck, Monica Corwin,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Iā€™m the shadows that reach out and take a bite. No one sees me coming, which is why Iā€™m sent to do the things even our fearless leader wonā€™t touch.

After months of watching our enemies itā€™s time to take them out. Iā€™m ready to feel their blood on my hands, their worthless lives ground to dust.

But I donā€™t get the chance, when a dark haired beauty comes crashing into my plans, seeking sanctuary from our enemies. Now Iā€™m stuck on guard duty, babysitting a mafia princess.

As tensions rise, the flames of desire flicker between us. We shouldnā€™tā€¦


Book cover of Patron Saints of Nothing

Renee Macalino Author Of The ABCs Of Asian American History: A Celebration from A to Z of All Asian Americans, from Bangladeshi Americans to Vietnamese Americans

From my list on the Asian American immigrant experience.

Why am I passionate about this?

Born in the Philippines and raised in the US from the age of 4, Renee didn't see the stories of her culture reflected in books until she was a freshman in college at UC Berkeley. Renee wrote her first novel, The Hour of Daydreams, which was inspired by the ghost stories her family told. It received the inaugural Institute for Immigration Research New American Voices Finalist award. Her childrenā€™s book One Hundred Percent Me is the book she wishes she couldā€™ve read to her own daughters. With her latest book, The ABCs of Asian American History, Renee hopes young readers will celebrate the vast contributions of Asian Americans to US culture, politics, arts, and society.

Renee's book list on the Asian American immigrant experience

Renee Macalino Why did Renee love this book?

This young adult novel is one adults too will enjoy.

Told from the lens of a Filipino American teenager who returns to his home country to investigate his cousinā€™s disappearance, Patron Saints of Nothing provides insightful commentary on the Philippine drug war carried out by the Duterte administration.

This is a complex, multilayered story about family, loss, and forgiveness. 

By Randy Ribay,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Patron Saints of Nothing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

A NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST

"Brilliant, honest, and equal parts heartbreaking and soul-healing." --Laurie Halse Anderson, author of SHOUT 

"A singular voice in the world of literature." --Jason Reynolds, author of Long Way Down

A powerful coming-of-age story about grief, guilt, and the risks a Filipino-American teenager takes to uncover the truth about his cousin's murder.

Jay Reguero plans to spend the last semester of his senior year playing video games before heading to the University of Michigan in the fall. But when he discovers that his Filipino cousin Jun was murdered as part of President Duterte's war on drugs,ā€¦


Book cover of The Good Daughter

Sue Jaskula Author Of Tangled Lies

From my list on romantic suspense with real-life characters.

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.

Sue's book list on romantic suspense with real-life characters

Sue Jaskula Why did Sue 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 ā€“ definitely no classic romance here. Itā€™s the authorā€™s portrayal of the familyā€™s emotion, specifically the dynamics between sisters.

No one writes sisters as well as Karin Slaughter. Weeks later, Iā€™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 memoriesā€¦


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Book cover of Taken: A Mother's Secret

Taken by Dan Lawton,

Nine-year-old Chloe Janis is missing. Abby, her mom, is now faced with an impossible decisionā€”revealing seventeen-year-old secrets she's kept hidden, or losing her daughter forever.

Everything unravels after Abby receives a cryptic message from a man from her past, someone sheā€™d tried to erase from her memory. But now, heā€™sā€¦

Book cover of Ancient Appetites

S.B. Norton Author Of Dave Bi-Plane Fights the Red Winged Death Command

From my list on wildly worldly invention in fantasy and steampunk.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been drawn toward tales and stories of the bizarre since childhood. As a reader, I look for works that will surprise me. The real world in general, I find very unsurprising (lord yes, I do!). When I read, when I enter the fictional world (my favorite!) I want to be inspired to read on. I have put down many a book through boredom. I am not a plough. If I am uninterested, I stop. These books have inspired me in my own craft. Currently writing my sixth novel of the unpredictable, I feel I have experienced enough to forward on some irregular reads of the pure and the awesome.  

S.B.'s book list on wildly worldly invention in fantasy and steampunk

S.B. Norton Why did S.B. love this book?

A wildly imaginative tale from the wildly underrated writer, Oisin McGann. A lot of the ideas here stem from his fantastic artwork. (So impressed was I with the read, I Googled his webpage!)

The Wildenstern family is a power-hungry lot, set in a slightly removed, Steampunk/Dystopian idea of a long-ago Ireland. Competitive cousins, Gerald and Nate Wildenstern are wonderful characters, and Nateā€™s sister-in-law, Daisy, is quite the uppity aristocrat (you canā€™t help but like!).

There are wild animal-like machines, a lot of deaths, twisted family values, and mystery to be had within this book. Very much a page-turner. I am rereading again ā€“ and the rest of the series as well!

By OisĆ­n McGann,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ancient Appetites 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?

Nate Wildenstern's brother has been killed, and the finger is pointed at him . . .

After nearly two years, eighteen-year-old Nate returns home to the family empire ruled by his father - the ruthless Wildenstern Patriarch. But Nate's life is soon shattered by his brother's death, and the Rules of Ascension, allowing the assassination of one male family member by another, means he's being blamed. He knows that he is not the murderer, but who is?

With the aid of his troublesome sister-in-law, Daisy, and his cousin Gerald, he means to find out. But when the victims of theā€¦


Book cover of My Dark Places: An L.A. Crime Memoir

Stephen Holgate Author Of To Live and Die in the Floating World

From my list on neglected mysteries.

Why am I passionate about this?

From Poe to Conan Doyle and Christie to the hard-boiled school of Hammett and Chandler and modern practitioners such as Louise Penny and Walter Mosely, I can gobble up mysteries like candy. Their appeal lies not only in compelling storylines but in their promise to restore order to our chaotic world, assure us that justice will triumph and evil geniuses will lose to intrepid paladins. As with wines, art, and sex, tastes vary. While reading various lists of great mysteries to jog my memory to make this list, I realized that few of my favorites were even listed, much less among the top ranks. Like a good detective, Iā€™m determined that justice prevails.

Stephen's book list on neglected mysteries

Stephen Holgate Why did Stephen love this book?

Memoirs donā€™t often feature mysteries, but Elroy, known for tough, cynical crime novels such as L.A. Confidential, centers his around his obsession with the unsolved murder of his mother in 1958 when Elroy was ten. With allusions to the famous Blue Dahlia case, Elroy writes with brutal frankness about his own pathologies and his weirdly loving relationship with his neglectful, alcoholic father. If nothing else, this absorbing bookā€”hard to read and equally hard to put downā€”solves the mystery of why Elroy and his novels come off as so creepy.

By James Ellroy,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

On 22 June 1958, Geneva "Jean" Hilliker Ellroy was found strangled. Her murderer was never found, but her death had a lasting effect on her ten-year-old son who wasted his early adulthood as a wino, petty burglar and derelict. In this book he tells of his determination to solve his mother's murder.


Book cover of What Happened That Night

Taylor Hale Author Of The Summer I Drowned

From my list on small town YA mysteries to keep you up all night.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a full-time author and freelance editor from a small Canadian city, and Iā€™ve always been fascinated by a good mysteryā€”flipping through the pages, trying to guess who did or didnā€™t do it. Dark and gritty are my favorites, and the titles on this list do a good job of staying in that realm while still being very much YA. I hope you love them as much as I did!

Taylor's book list on small town YA mysteries to keep you up all night

Taylor Hale Why did Taylor love this book?

This is a dual-timeline murder mystery from a unique perspective. Without giving away too many spoilers, this story follows Clara, whose sister has been accused of murdering Griffin Tomlinā€”the ā€œgolden boyā€ who Clara once had a crush on.

There is a lot to unpack here, and the dual-timeline makes it a fascinating read; piece-by-piece, we slowly learn Claraā€™s past with Griffin leading up to the events of him being allegedly murdered by her sister. Why would Claraā€™s sister do such a thing? And was Griffin Tomlin really the ā€œgolden boyā€ he seemed to be? This story gets dark, and as a fair warning, sometimes graphicā€”but if that sounds like a good read for you, Iā€™d definitely pick it up!

By Deanna Cameron,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked What Happened That Night as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

Sometimes the lies weā€™re told are nowhere near as deadly as the lies we tell ourselves . . .

Four months after the murder of golden-boy Griffin Tomlin, the entire town of Shiloh is still in shock. For Clara Porterfield, the world has crumbled into a million chaotic pieces.

At home, her sister awaits trial for Griffinā€™s murder, her mother obsessively digs in a dead garden, and her father lives in perpetual denial.

At school, Clara is haunted by her classmatesā€™ morbid stares and the unspoken questions they are too afraid to ask.

And deep inside, Clara holds a truthā€¦


Book cover of The Red Parts: Autobiography of a Trial

Blessin Adams Author Of Great and Horrible News: Murder and Mayhem in Early Modern Britain

From my list on bloody true crime.

Why am I passionate about this?

As an ex-police officer, I have experienced many of the things that I write about, albeit in the modern age: Iā€™ve investigated scenes of sudden and violent death, attended post-mortems, and chased the odd suspected criminal through the streets. After a few years on the beat, I left the force and went to university as a mature student, where I received a PhD for my research into early modern law and literature. I now combine my love of all things true crime with my passion for early modern legal history in the books I write about historical crime, murder, and violent death.

Blessin's book list on bloody true crime

Blessin Adams Why did Blessin love this book?

Iā€™ll never forget this book because it put me front and center of a murder trial from the perspective of the victimā€™s family.

Imagine sitting in court and looking into the eyes of the man who killed your nearest and dearest. What would that feel like? How would I even begin to process that experience?

I found this story really opened a whole new perspective in the genre of true crime writing. 

By Maggie Nelson,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Selected as a Book of the Year 2017 in the Guardian

'Maggie Nelson's short, singular books feel pretty light in the hand... But in the head and the heart, they seem unfathomably vast, their cleverness and odd beauty lingering on' Observer

In 1969, Jane Mixer, a first-year law student at the University of Michigan, posted a note on a student noticeboard to share a lift back to her hometown of Muskegon for spring break. She never made it: she was brutally murdered, her body found a few miles from campus the following day.

The Red Parts is Maggie Nelson's singularā€¦


Book cover of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
Book cover of Ruthless Creatures
Book cover of The Wife Before

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