I used to never be interested in thrillers or mystery books. I mainly gravitated towards young adult contemporary fiction, a little fantasy, or rom coms. But over quarantine, when we were home for so long and I started reading more, I discovered I really like thrillers. It has definitely become my favorite genre. I started out with more YA mysteries, then slowly worked my way into the more “adult” (if you would even call it that?) thrillers, and I always get so sucked into them! I’ve read dozens of thrillers over the past couple of years, but today I’m sharing my top ten picks. I have a huge Goodreads list of more thrillers that I want to read, and definitely let me know if there are any of your favorites I need to add to the list!
The Silent Patient: This one had been on my list forever, but I only just read it a few weeks ago. I thought that it picked up quickly and left you wanting to know more after every chapter, which is key for a thriller. I don’t like when the book is really slow for the first half, because it’s hard to stay engaged. I was not expecting the twist at the end!
An Anonymous Girl: I read this one last summer at the beach, and it really draws you in because of how little the synopsis reveals about the story. A woman agrees to do a psychological study in exchange for money, but the professor conducting study has underlying motives… so good! I love all the thrillers by these authors, but this one was my favorite.
The Last Mrs. Parrish: This is a fun, very dramatic thriller about an extremely rich family. A woman decides to insert herself into the family, first becoming best friends with the wife (Mrs. Parrish), but eventually trying to take over her life and husband. It had different perspectives that it switched between, which I thought added to the suspense of the plot.
The Plot: This one started out slow, which, like I mentioned, almost made me not want to finish it. But I’m so glad I did, because after about halfway it gets so fast paced and I couldn’t stop reading. A professor takes the plot of one of his writing students’ novels, and passes it off as his own idea. But then the professor starts getting creepy phone calls and messages… It’s so good, and there’s a huge twist at the end.
Every Last Secret: This one reminds me of The Last Mrs. Parrish, because it is also about rich family drama. In this one, there are two couples who live next to each other, and the wife of one of the couples is trying to take over the life of the other wife. There are a few twists and unexpected moments, and the end leaves you a little confused about what actually happened.
Verity: I’m sure so many people have heard of this one, I see it all over the internet as a recommended thriller. For good reason! This is by far the craziest thriller I’ve ever read. I think I read it in about 8 hours, I couldn’t put it down.
The Perfect Couple: I love Elin Hilderbrand for her beach reads, but this was her first mystery book she’s ever written. I hope she writes more in the future, because this one was fantastic. The day of a woman’s big wedding in Nantucket, the groom shows up washed up on the beach, dead. The story goes in alternating perspectives and the mystery is uncovered piece by piece. I love the mixing of a beach setting with a mystery.
The Woman in the Window: This one was one of the first thrillers I read, back in quarantine, and it’s another really popular one. It could be a little slow at times, but it really picks up towards the end. The main character is an alcoholic, so sometimes it’s hard to tell if her point of view is actually true or just a result of the alcohol, which was an interesting way to write it! And there’s a huge twist at the end that I didn’t see coming.
Then She Was Gone: This was my first Lisa Jewell book, and now I want to read all of her thrillers, because it was so good! I’ve also read her book The Family Upstairs, and I can’t decide which I like best. In both books, the author has alternating timelines and perspectives, which leaves you wondering what is happening until the very end.
Gone Girl: This is another wild thriller, with fast paced moments that keep you reading late into the night! I read this one at the beach last summer and couldn’t put it down. A man is being investigated for the disappearance of his wife, and their family drama starts to come out. No one is who they say they are, and the wife also has a story of her own. There’s also a movie based on the book, which I thought was really good!
These are my favorite type of posts, because I could go on for hours about my favorite books. Let me know what I should read next, and feel free to follow me on Goodreads!