Introduction
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Are you a fan of heart-pounding suspense and bone-chilling psychological thrillers? If so, you are in for a treat.
In this blog I will provide you with a list of 5 thrilling books you won’t be able to put down. Thrillers have got to be one of my most loved genres; in fact it’s the genre that got me back into reading in late 2022.
If you are looking for unputdownable books, then I encourage you to keep on reading as we discover your next 5 must-read thriller books.
1. The Maid & The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose
Okay, so I know this is technically two books, and number 2 on this list is also two books but you can’t have one without the other and honestly, if a pair of books are as greatly written as these then they both deserve to be on the list.
The Maid and The Mystery Guest are two murder-mystery novels written by Nita Prose which follow the journey of Molly-the-Maid.
The Maid is the first book of the series that follows Molly as she navigates her new world of lies and mystery, upon finding the dead body of a regular guest in a hotel suite she is cleaning.
With Molly lacking social skills and innocently struggling to interpret social cues this makes for a relatable and enjoyable read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and rated it 5/5 stars. If you enjoy gripping murder mystery novels, this one is for you.
The Mystery Guest carries on seamlessly from the first novel, with readers following Molly through a new journey of suspicion and mystery, as the Regency Grand is thrown into chaos yet again.
A famous mystery writer falls to his sudden death in the tearoom and Molly holds the key to solving the mystery. It is down to Molly to piece together memories of her past that she has hidden away for a very long time.
Once I started this book, I honestly couldn’t put it down and would recommend this book to lovers of murder mysteries. Nita Prose writes in such a way that readers are transported into a new fictional world, and I do very much believe that these books will be timeless classics of contemporary fiction in years to come.
If you enjoy cosy books or who dunnit adventures and are looking for an unputdownable book to add to your TBR shelf, then I would not wait any longer in purchasing these!
Follow the link if you would like to read my full review of The Mystery Guest.
2. The Family Upstairs & The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell
Lisa Jewell is a best-selling author for good reason; when reading her books you don’t just read her words – you end up in between the pages right beside the characters themselves. Individually these books are incredible and together make for a gripping and unsettling thriller duet.
The Family Upstairs begins with Libby, found when she is only 10 months old at the scene of a cult-motivated suicide. She has been impatiently waiting for her 25th birthday to arrive, as on this day, she can open a letter that she hopes holds answers to questions about her past.
Unbeknownst to Libby, she is not the only one waiting in anticipation for her birthday to arrive. There are others patiently waiting for her arrival at the property she has inherited – the one she was found in as a baby. The reader will experience narration of both the past and present times told through three different perspectives.
The Family Remains is the second book of this two-part series and explores family drama, twisted marriages, and haunting obsessions. This book takes on more of a police procedural journey after a body is washed up on the Thames and has detectives wondering if they can solve the mystery of what happened all those years ago at 16 Cheyne Walk.
I highly encourage those who love murder-mystery and edge-of-your-seat novels to add these to your bookshelves today, you won’t be disappointed!
3. The Dinner Guest by B.P Walter
The Dinner Guest offers a truly gripping psychological thriller that will keep you up to the early hours of the morning to finish it – seriously I
was hooked! Charlie and Matthew appear to have the perfect life with their son Titus.
That is until Rachel infiltrates their life, and the reader is left wondering who she is and what she seeks. Another book for fans of murder mystery (I’m sensing a theme here, are you?)
Four people walk into a dining room one evening, only for one of them to never leave. Readers will be addicted to this book as they try and work out who committed the murder of Matthew – Why would Rachael confess to a murder she didn’t commit? Was it the perfect husband, the perfect son, or someone entirely different?
This story is jampacked with secrets, lies, and mysteries, so prepare yourself for unexpected twists and turns, as this mind-bending thriller takes you on a whole new journey.
I rated this book 5/5 stars and would love to be able to read this for the first time again. This is always my go-to recommendation for a fast-paced and easy-reading psychological thriller.
4. You Should Have Told Me by Leah Kohen
Picture this: you are in a happy relationship with a devoted and loving father and partner. You are struggling to bond with your newborn daughter and to help allow you some rest – your partner offers to take care of the nighttime feedings.
You are woken suddenly by the intense cries of your unfed daughter and realise your boyfriend, Max, is gone. When he doesn’t come home, you don’t know what to do. You have no explanation for why he would leave you and your daughter or where he might have gone.
When the police arrive, they start speaking of a woman’s body found outside a local bar and you quickly realise Max is a suspect for murder. Who is the woman? Where is Max? What happened that night?
You Should Have Told Me is an adrenaline-packed psychological thriller that I think most readers will have devoured in one sitting. I know some thrillers can feel repetitive, especially when you read a lot of the same sub-genres (murder mystery for example) but this book felt unpredictable and I could feel the suspense of searching for the truth.
5. Verity by Colleen Hoover
This book is somewhat controversial, and I feel the author herself has become so too. I do love a lot of Colleen Hoover’s books and there are others I don’t like so much, but Verity will always sit high on my list of favourite psychological, romance, and thriller books.
Verity was the first Colleen Hoover book I read and I’m hoping it escapes my mind one day so that I can read it as if it’s the first time again. Verity takes readers on a rollercoaster of suspense and second-guessing.
Lowen, a writer, is struggling financially when she suddenly lands the job of a lifetime. She has been hired by Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, to finish the books remaining in her successful series that she cannot due to injury.
The twists and turns throughout this book will have readers on the edge of their seats and at times a creepy feeling of dread will stay with the reader long after finishing the book.
The only thing I disliked about this book, was the additional chapter in the extended version. If you are like me then curiosity will take over and you will read it, but be warned most readers do not enjoy this additional chapter as much as the book itself.
Concluding Thoughts
This selection of books would be great for someone looking to dive into fast-paced and heart-racing thrillers. These books aren’t too heavy to read but as always, please check trigger warnings before reading any of the books featured on this list.
Putting this list together I realised there was a common theme of murder mystery for almost all these books, so if you aren’t a fan of who dunnit novels then this list probably isn’t for you… Sorry! Why not share this list with a friend who is a fan of murder mystery books?
If you’re on the hunt for the next best psychological thriller book to read then I encourage you to add these to your TBR list and bookshelves. If you have read these then let me know your thoughts in the comments below, and please feel free to share any recommendations you have!
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If you enjoy cozy books or who-dunnit adventures and are looking for an unputdownable book to add to your TBR shelf, don’t wait any longer to get your hands on these thrilling reads!
📚Buy These 5 Must-Read Thrillers
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“Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end”
The Maid – nita prose
Louise's Little Bookshelf 