I absolutely loved A Family of Strangers by Emilie Richards. It’s a beautifully executed mystery with a lovely second-chance romance subplot. It also offers a depiction of what living with chronic pain can look like, and as someone who has Fibromyalgia, that was really meaningful to me. I do want to caution potential readers that this book does contain child abuse, specifically and some violence, so if that’s a trigger for you, you’ll want to … Continue reading Family of Strangers by Emilie Richards →
I love creepy shit–the creepier the better. The Stillwater Girls by Minka Kent promised to deliver some of that creep, but as far as psychological thrillers go, it wasn’t that dark. This book was a little too tame for me, but I think it would be an excellent novel for readers who want to dip their toe into the psychological thriller genre without getting too scared. There is no on-page violence and… The Stillwater Girls … Continue reading The Stillwater Girls by Minka Kent →
The Au Pair by Emma Rous is a slightly Gothic psychological thriller that focuses on one woman’s suspicion that she might not be physically related to her own family. The premise is excellent and while I kept turning pages well into the night, I found that when I finished the book, I was only slightly satisfied with the resolution. Part of that is because the final reveals are executed a little clumsily. The other part … Continue reading The Au Pair by Emma Rous →
On the surface You Were Here is all of the Elyse-bait. It’s a psychological thriller set in present and past, a story about infidelity and family lies. It also features a heroine who dreams of some tragic event long-ago, nightmares that are so vivid they disrupt her life. All of those elements are there, but they fail to gel together to make a story that’s cohesive. You Were Here opens with Abby Walter’s having one of … Continue reading You Were Here by Gian Sardar →
One of my favorite books from last year was Megan Miranda’s psychological thriller All the Missing Girls, so I went into her follow-up book The Perfect Stranger with high expectations. I was not disappointed. If you like books that screw with your mind and cause you to question everything, then this is the book for you. I always felt just off-balance while reading, never quite able to trust my footing. It was delicious. Leah Stevens … Continue reading The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda →
I’d really like to write a longer review of The Missing by Caroline Eriksson because it’s a superb psychological thriller, but in order for readers to perfectly get the story, I can only talk about the novel superficially. This book is all about fascinating layers, but they really need to unfold for readers organically. Like a lot of thrillers, this book is told deep POV style from an unreliable narrator–in this case, Greta, a young … Continue reading The Missing by Caroline Eriksson, translated by Tiina Nunnally →
Perfect Prey by Laura Salters stands out from the psychological thriller crowd due to it’s excellent portrayal of a heroine with a mental illness. Like The Woman in Cabin 10, Perfect Prey depicts a heroine who is unapologetic about struggling with a mental illness (in this case generalized anxiety), who is gaslit because of it, and who perseveres even when she has to overcome the dual obstacles of physical danger and mental distress. The only … Continue reading Perfect Prey by Laura Salters →
I bought The Lost Girls on impulse because it was sitting on a Barnes and Noble table looking all psychological thriller-y and because I have zero self control. I found the book to be well-written and immersive, but a psychological thriller it is not, and I felt like the jacket copy lied to me. Also anyone considering reading it should be warned that there is a scene involving sexual abuse of a child. It’s not … Continue reading The Lost Girls by Heather Young →
When Redheadedgirl sent me a link to You Will Know Me, a thriller featuring a young gymnast, I was like OMG GIVE IT TO ME NOW. We’ve both been watching a lot of Olympics gymnastics (although I’m a four-year-fan, she’s a die hard), so it fit in perfectly with our summer activities. Unfortunately it was a book that worked a lot better for me then her. You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott is a … Continue reading You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott →
There’s been a trend in mystery fiction lately of deliciously twisty psychological thrillers featuring women in roles that mysteries don’t usually afford them. I’ve talked about it before, The Gone Girl effect, and how these thrillers that set up a traditional mystery scenario. A woman (usually respectable and middle class) is missing or dead. We presume she is the victim. Then the author takes all our usual assumptions shakes them up in a Yatzee cup, hits us in the … Continue reading All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda →
RECOMMENDED: The Good Girl by Mary Kubica is $2.99 digitally. Elyse discussed this book in her recent post Good Girl, Gone Girl and Women in Psychological Thrillers. She wrote, “Parts of the novel takes place during the period of time of Mia’s disappearance and others take place after. The hook is that after her traumatic rescue, Mia cannot remember the months she spent with her abductor. I won’t ruin it for this audience, but the book is not the typical female-in-jeopardy situation.” So if you’re looking for thrillers, this might really work for you.
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