I love to read. Novels, memoirs, and historical fiction are all up there. But thrillers are at the top of the list. With fall well underway, I thought it appropriate to share some of my favorite thrillers and some on my to-read list. I'd love to hear your thriller recommendations down in the comments below!
1. The Good Nurse: A true story of medicine, madness and murder by Charles Graeber. An edge-of-your-seat true crime story, this investigative journalism piece unveils the story of Charlie Cullen, an intelligent, and complicated man who couldn't escape his urge to kill.
2. The Girl on the Train by Paul Hawkins. This is a book I couldn't put down. I didn't know whether to love the main character Rachel or hate her, and I think you'll feel the same way. Rachel takes the same commuter train every day to work and one day, she sees something that completely changes everything. With crazy plot twists and an ending you don't see coming, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time.
3. The Stranger by Harlan Coben. A page turner about Adam Price, a man who has everything - a wonderful family, a great job, and nice house. But one day he meets The Stranger, who tells him a devastating secret about his wife that changes everything.
4. The Girl in the Spider's Web: A Lisbeth Salander novel, continuing Sieg Larsson's Millennium Series by David Lagercrantz. If you haven't read the Millennium Series, you must. And then pick up this book. Lisbeth Salander, the goth hacker misfit is back and working once again with journalist Blomkvist to uncover the secret buried within a tangled web of cybercriminals, spies and corrupt governments.
5. Pretty Girls: A novel by Karin Slaughter. This thriller tells the story of two sisters whose teenaged sister Julia vanished without a trace more than twenty years ago. The two sisters haven't spoken since and their lives are complete opposites - one is a trophy wife, the other dates an ex-con. But when a man is murdered - seemingly an unrelated incident to their sister's disappearance - the two sisters set aside their anger to uncover the secrets of their past.
6. Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson. I saw this movie and it is fantastic. This is one of those books you'll want to finish in one sitting. An amnesiac, following a strange accident, wakes up every single day not knowing who she is or who she can trust. She spends each day learning more and more about her life, only to wake up the next day back at square one, not knowing who she is - or who she can trust.
7. The Good Girl by Mary Kubica. One night, Mia goes to a bar to meet up with her on and off boyfriend. When he doesn't show, she winds up leaving with a guy named Colin. What should've been a fun one-night stand turns into the worst mistake of Mia's life.
8. Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll. As a teen, Ani suffered a shocking public humiliation that scarred her to the core. But that's all behind her now. She has a glamorous job, a fantastic wardrobe, a beautiful fiance, and everything is perfect. Except for the one secret Ani continues to hold back. It eats at her, and threats to ruin everything she's worked so hard to attain.
9. The Memory Box by Eva Lesko Natiello. What would you do if you googled yourself and discovered something shocking that you had no memory of? Caroline lives in a world where bored, privileged suburban moms pass the time googling each other to find the latest dirt to fuel their gossip sessions. Caroline tries her best to avoid them, but one day decides to google her maiden name (none of which the other women know) and discovers something so shocking about herself that it seems impossible. An obituary for her sister? If that were true, she would know, right?!
10. The Silent Wife by A. S. A. Harrison. Right off the bat, we are told this is a book about a murder. Jodi, a part time psychologist, will be the murderer and Todd, her husband, will be the victim. So it doesn't seem like there's much suspense here but the juicy bits lie in the unraveling of the relationship, the hows and the whys, and the possibility that maybe - just maybe - we can understand what Jodi does.
11. Reconstructing Amelia: A novel by Kimberly McCreight. Amelia's mom Kate is in the biggest, most important meeting of her career when she gets the call that her daughter has been suspended effective immediately, and Kate must leave to pick her up now. When Kate arrives, the school is surrounded by police and ambulances. Amelia has jumped to her death. But then Kate gets a test message: She didn't jump.
12. Still Missing by Chevy Stevens. Annie is a thirty something realtor trying to juggle boyfriend obligations with career goals. One day, she is hosting an open house, and it's going slow, but as the last visitor pulls up, Annie's hope to sell the house is renewed. Until she is abducted.
13. The Good Neighbor by A. J. Banner. Sarah and her husband, Dr Johnny McDonald, live in a beautiful neighborhood and Sarah feels like she has everything she's ever dreamed up. Until one night, tragedy strikes and Sarah's world comes crashing down. Filled with grief, Sarah and Johnny begin putting back the pieces of their life, but as they do so, Sarah discovers dark secrets that has her questioning her friends, neighbors, and husband.