13 Books That Will Send Chills Down Your Spine
When you're in the mood for a little suspense, there's no better way to satisfy your craving than with a killer book. Thrillers never fail to get your heart racing, forcing you to turn the page at breakneck speed while instilling an oddly satisfying uneasiness about what's to come. As the spooky season approaches, the gripping psychological thrillers on this list make excellent beach reads or Halloween books.
One in particular adapted into a Netflix show is You, which will return for a third season in 2021. Check out Carolyn Kepnes' story below if you want to read the novel that started it all.
Or, for more juicy fiction that will be adapted for the small screen, read Liane Moriarty's Nine Perfect Strangers.
Are you new to the genre? Beginners may enjoy The Last Thing He Told Me, which is both engrossing and page-turning. You won't be sorry if you spend a few afternoons with these exciting books.
Alice Feeney's "Daisy Darker"
Daisy Darker has just arrived at her grandmother's house to celebrate her grandmother's eightieth birthday. Seaglass is perched on a rugged private island whose granite rocks cut off from the rest of the world when the tide comes in. The Darker family hasn't been reunited in over a decade, and this time, one of them will be dead by the time the tide goes out.
This gripping psychological thriller with a stunning twist is a must-read for the summer.
Fiona Cummins' "Into the Dark"
The kettle is still warm, and all of the family's phones are charging on the kitchen counter, but the house is empty...
Riva Holden, fifteen, has three words scrawled across the mirror in blood: Make Them Stop.
A terrible crime has been discovered in a beautiful Art Deco home overlooking the bay of Midtown-on-Sea. Piper and Gray, as well as their two teenage children, have vanished. DS Saul Anguish, a brilliant detective with a troubled past, arrives. As he begins to piece together the harrowing story of the disappearance, he must confront his demons.
John Marrs' "The Vacation"
How far would you go to escape your past? Venice Beach in Los Angeles is a tourist hotspot, with visitors from all over flocking to the ocean and Hollywood promise. But a vacation is not the first thing on the minds of eight strangers staying at a beachfront hostel. They're all on the run and have secrets they'd kill to keep.
The Vacation is a suspenseful holiday thriller written by John Marrs, who also wrote The One, now a Netflix Original Series; it was nominated for the 2022 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize.
Lucinda Riley's "The Murders at Fleat House"
The untimely death of a student at St Stephen's, a small private boarding school in rural Norfolk, is a shocking event that the headmaster quickly labels a tragic accident. The local police, however, cannot rule out foul play, and the case prompts the return to the force of high-flying Detective Inspector Jazmine' Jazz' Hunter.
Jazz begins to investigate the circumstances surrounding Charlie Cavendish's tragic death. Still, things quickly become troubling when Charlie is revealed to be an arrogant bully, giving those around him a reason to switch the daily drugs he takes to control his epilepsy.
The disappearance of another young pupil and the death of an elderly Classics master provide Jazz with important leads. Still, as snow falls and another suspect goes missing, Jazz must also confront her demons… Sorry, that's all we can tell you.
Zoje Stage's novel Baby Teeth
This 2018 novel follows a dysfunctional family with a daughter who is a terror (you might call her a bad seed). Hanna is seven years old and has never spoken, but that is the least of her mother's concerns; you'd probably feel the same if your child tried to kill you.
As Hanna's mind games become more intense and her father remains unconcerned, Hanna's mother is forced to take matters into her own hands — because baby teeth may appear sweet, but they can bite your head clean off.
Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny's State of Terror
State of Terror follows a new Secretary of State who joins the administration of her opponent, a president elected after four years of American leadership that shrank from the world stage. A series of terrorist attacks destabilizes the global order, and the secretary is tasked with assembling a team to unravel the deadly conspiracy, a scheme carefully designed to exploit an American government that is dangerously out of touch and out of power in the places where it matters the most.
This high-stakes international intrigue thriller features behind-the-scenes global drama informed by details only an insider would know.
Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies
If all fiction is made up of lies, Moriarty can spin them like no other — and her most famous work, Big Little Lies, takes the concept to a whole new level. An idyllic coastal town is sucked into a scandal involving a young mother's traumatic past, another's secret home life, and a kindergarten scuffle that gets out of hand in this novel.
Read the book first, then watch the excellent HBO series produced by Reese Witherspoon to see the story come to life.
Magma, by Thora Hjörleifsdóttir Translated by Meg Matich
Lilja, a twenty-year-old woman, is madly in love. He's older and more attractive, a Derrida-quoting intellectual. He's also a serial liar, a gaslighter, and a narcissist. Lilja will go to any length to keep him. As a result, she accepts his deceptions and bears his sexual desires. She rationalizes his toxic behavior and allows him to cross all of her lines.
She cannot break free from the toxic cycle due to her desperation to be the perfect lover. Then there's an unexpected choice: all-consuming love or the promise of a reclaimed life.
Perfect People Peter James
John and Naomi Klaesson are heartbroken after losing their four-year-old son to a rare genetic disease. All they want is another child, but the genetic odds are stacked against them having a healthy child. Enter geneticist Doctor Leo Dettore, whose opulent clinic provides the couple with everything they've ever desired.
But the perfect child's fantasy soon turns into a sinister nightmare. Naomi is already pregnant, so leaving is out of the question.
Josh Malerman's Bird Box
When the strange and terrifying phenomenon known as "The Problem" starts causing mass violence and suicide, one thing is clear: no one is safe. So Malorie and her two children seek refuge from the outside world, training themselves to live without sight because looking at "The Problem" causes people to go insane.
But as the children grow older, Malorie must decide: should she venture outside and risk their horrific deaths, or should she remain trapped in the box forever?
Andrew Grant's "Die Twice"
Fans of Bond and Bourne won't miss this fast-paced spy thriller by Andrew Grant, co-author of the Jack Reacher novels as Andrew Child, which follows his action-packed debut, Even.
David Trevellyan is summoned to the British Consulate in Chicago after being forced to leave New York City due to his previous mission. Just a week before, his new handler was attacked and shot by a Royal Navy Intelligence operative gone rogue.
Assigned the task of locating the rogue agent and putting an end to his treacherous scheme, Trevellyan quickly realizes that his only hope of saving countless innocent lives lies not within the system. Still, in his instinctive belief - you're bound to do what's right, no matter what the personal cost.
Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen's "The Golden Couple"
Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, the bestselling authors of The Wife Between Us, have released The Golden Couple, a new addictive, page-turning psychological thriller.
Marissa and Mathew Bishop appear to be the perfect couple... until Marissa cheats. Marissa takes a chance on maverick therapist Avery Chambers, who lost her license due to controversial methods, in a desperate attempt to repair her family. When the Bishops enter Avery's office, it becomes clear that the biggest secrets in the room remain hidden, and it's no longer just a marriage in jeopardy.
Not everyone is who they appear to be, and things are about to get deadly.
"We Had To Get Rid this post" Of Hanna Bervoets contributed to.
Kayleigh requires financial assistance. That is why she accepts a position at a social media platform whose name she is forbidden to mention. Her job entails reviewing offensive videos, images, rants, and conspiracy theories and determining which should be removed.
It's hard work, but Kayleigh is good at it, and among her coworkers, she finds a group of friends, even a new girlfriend — and for the first time in her life, Kayleigh's future appears bright. However, the job quickly appears to change them all, shifting their worlds in alarming ways.
When her coworkers begin to crumble; when Sigrid, her new girlfriend, becomes increasingly distant and fragile; and when her friends begin to espouse the same conspiracy theories they're supposed to be debating, Kayleigh begins to wonder if the job is too much for them. But she's still perfectly fine - or is she?
