Spring reads: 10 new thrillers to devour in less than a day
We’re a nation of crime fiction readers, with crime being the most popular book genre across the UK, according to reports from the recent London Book Fair.
Looking for some new page-turners to add to your spring reading list? Here’s our pick of 10 new thrillers that’ll keep you glued to the edge of your seat…
1. Sleep by C L Taylor
Cally Louise Taylor, whose bestselling psychological thrillers, including The Accident, The Lie and The Fear, have sold more than a million copies in the UK alone, returns with Sleep – another gripping suspenser about an insomniac who takes a job in a hotel on a remote Scottish island to escape her past. But when seven guests join her, each holding a secret, what started as a retreat turns into a deadly nightmare.
2. Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver
This is a dark gothic thriller by the bestselling author of Dark Matter and Thin Air, set in Edwardian Suffolk – where an eerie manor house stands alone in a lost corner of the Fens, a glinting wilderness of water whose whispering reeds guard ancient secrets. Maud is a lonely child growing up without a mother and ruled by her repressive father. When he finds a painted medieval devil in a graveyard, unhallowed forces are awakened, and Maud finds herself battling to survive a world haunted by witchcraft and the demons of her father’s past.
3. A Book Of Bones by John Connolly
Now celebrating his 20th year as an author, Connolly brings us another classic Charlie Parker tale, in which the ex-cop-turned-private investigator and his team head for England, where on a lonely moor in the northeast, the body of a young woman has been discovered. Then, other bodies are found in very particular corners of the country, where history, lore, myth and legend come together to welcome sacrifice.
4. Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce
This debut novel by ex-criminal barrister Tyce, introduces 30-something criminal barrister Alison Wood, who has just landed her first murder case, defending a wealthy, middle-aged woman who was found covered in blood next to the body of her dead husband.
As Alison’s career takes off, her personal life suffers as she drinks too much and embarks on an affair – and then it seems someone knows her secret. Essential reading for fans of The Girl On The Train and Apple Tree Yard, this one is unpredictable and page-turningly good.
5. Twisted by Steve Cavanagh
Author of the bestselling Thirteen brings us another taut, twisty thriller centring on an elusive bestselling mystery author. Very few people know who he is – and the few who know do his real identity seem to wind up dead. Now, one woman thinks she’s located him – unaware of the possible consequences. This is one to lap up in one session.
6. Run Away by Harlan Coben
Described by Dan Brown as ‘the modern master of the hook and twist’, Coben is not only a bestselling thriller writer but is also making a name for himself on Netflix. He created the TV drama mini-series Safe, starring Michael C Hall and Amanda Abbington, and is developing 14 existing titles and future projects, including his latest book, Run Away, into English language and foreign language series. This latest sees a man searching for his runaway drug-addict daughter in New York.
7. An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
Anyone who loved their hit debut last year – The Wife Between Us, a smasher of a thriller – should bag a copy of this riveting page-turner, in which a make-up artist seizes the chance to earn some easy money by signing up for a psychology study. It’s being carried out by a mysterious Dr Shields as part of what she thinks is a New York University study on ethics and morality. She soon discovers, though, that Dr Shields has a completely different agenda, and quickly learns that some obsessions can be deadly.
8. Stone Mothers by Erin Kelly
This is one to watch from the author of He Said/She Said, which was a featured title in the Richard & Judy Book Club. It’s tells the story of Marianne, who fled her family and boyfriend when she was 17 and now has to return to see her dementia-suffering mother. At the centre of the story is the abandoned Nazareth Hospital, once an asylum, and the chilling secret it holds.
9. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Many thriller writers have heaped praise on this debut title from the former screenwriter, which begins when, late one night, a seemingly devoted wife shoots her husband five times and then refuses to speak another word. Enter forensic psychologist Theo Faber, who is sure he can treat the woman and find out the truth where others have failed. The film rights have been snapped up by Brad Pitt’s production company, so it’s likely to be a surefire winner.
10. Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward
There’s a buzz in the publishing world around this debut, which is a big psychological thriller set in suburban Kansas, where a frantic 911 call summons police to the scene of a shocking crime in the gorgeous home of Maddie and Ian and their young son. The timeline alternates between events which shaped the characters’ pasts and led to the phone call, and the book catches glimpses of Maddie, Ian, and Maddie’s former best friend, Jo, from many years ago, and finally what happens after that call.
The Press Association
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