If you have a fascination for novels with murders, character analysis and plot twists, then you’ll definitely appreciate these books. They will be perfect if you’re commuting to university and want to make your travel more bearable, or you might simply want to entertain yourself with some thrilling literature. And don’t worry, I made sure not to reveal any spoilers!
1) The Kind Worth Killing – Peter Swanson
“Truthfully, I don’t think murder is necessarily as bad as people make it out to be. Everyone dies. What difference does it make if a few bad apples get pushed along a little sooner than God intended? And your wife, for example, seems like the kind worth killing.”
The Kind Worth Killing is built on themes of infidelity and revenge: Ted discovers that his wife Miranda is having an affair with a construction worker. Instead of confronting her, he reveals his desire to kill his wife to a stranger, Lilly, whilst waiting in an airport lounge. Rather than being appalled by this, Lilly thinks Ted’s mentality is justified. She even offers to help out in the murder. Why does Lilly want to help a stranger execute a homicidal fantasy? And will they actually do it?
2) Before We Met – Lucie Whitehouse
“…one story after another, all plausible, all perfectly woven until she picked at the one semi-loose thread and they unravelled in her hands.”
Before We Met opens as a sweet, whirlwind romance. Hannah avoids commitment and serious relationships, until she meets Mark. Handsome, charming, successful and totally smitten with her, she cannot resist him. They quickly fall in love and get married. However, their fairy-tale life falls apart when Mark fails to arrive back from a business trip on time and does not contact Hannah for days. Sick with worry, she starts to do her own investigating and uncovers a series of shocking truths about Mark’s past in the process. Is Mark keeping secrets to protect Hannah? Or to protect himself?
3) Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn
“We weren’t ourselves when we fell in love, and when we became ourselves – surprise! – We were poison. We complete each other in the nastiest, ugliest possible way.”
Gillian Flynn is the queen of unreliable narrators and master suspense. Gone Girl is a domestic noir about Amy and Nick Dunne. Nick’s narration is based in the present day, while Amy’s point of view is accessed through her old diary entries. The fluctuation between the past and present creates a harsh contrast and we come to realise that they both have different interpretations of their failing marriage. Amy is a perfectionist, admired by everyone she meets and is even called ‘Amazing Amy’ by her parents. Until one day, she suddenly goes missing. The evidence suggests that Nick has something to do with her disappearance. Could Nick really be a murderer? Or is he just misunderstood? And is Amy as ‘amazing’ as people think?
This is a gripping story about deceit, manipulation and dissatisfaction.
4) The Girl on the Train – Paula Hawkins
“Hollowness: that I understand. I’m starting to believe that there isn’t anything you can do to fix it. That’s what I’ve taken from the therapy sessions: the holes in your life are permanent. You have to grow around them, like tree roots around concrete; you mould yourself through the gaps.”
Rachel is the girl on the train. She looks out of the window to catch glimpses into the life of a couple whose house the train passes during her commute; it reminds her of a time when she was happily married. Now she is divorced and an alcoholic, and depression and boredom cause her to become obsessed with watching this couple. Until one day she sees something happening in the garden of their house and nothing is ever the same. She becomes involved in their life. Are things always what they seem? And who can Rachel trust if she can’t trust herself?
5) The Woman in the Window – AJ Finn
“Something’s happening to me, through me, something dangerous and new. It’s taken root, a poison tree; it’s grown, fanning out, vines winding round my gut, my lungs, my heart.”
The Woman in the Window deals with heavy topics such as trauma and loss. It is similar to The Girl on the Train as it also takes an onlooker as the main perspective. Anna has suffered a tragic accident and deals with post-traumatic stress disorder. Confined to her home, she gains enjoyment out of watching others in the neighbourhood and envisioning their lives. A new family moves in across the road and Anna is even visited by them. She begins to warm to them. But one evening, she hears a scream from their house and witnesses something unimaginable. Was it just a figment of Anna’s imagination? The police and everyone else seems to think so. Anna goes on a mission to discover the truth, even if it means putting her fears of the outside world aside.
So next time you have a free moment to do some reading that isn’t course-related, give one of these thrillers a go! Perfect for the spookiest month of the year on the run up to Halloween…