A Life In Review

I am a huge fan of thrillers and mystery reads. This year I have branched out and read through some other genres that I love, but I always come back to thrillers and mysteries, especially at this time of year. I’ve been reading through this genre a lot in the last three years and if you’ve followed me on social media, you may have seen some of my recommendations. Here are some of my absolute favorites from the last three years (that you need to add to your TBR right now).

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“The Wife Upstairs“ by: Rachel Hawkins. I don’t know if she will ever be able to write a book that tops this one. This is my absolute favorite book of hers. This should already be on your TBR, but if it’s not, add it now. Dive into this suspenseful book and learn about the lives of Jane, (recently widowed) Eddy, (Eddy’s wife who drowned alongside her BFF) Bea, and the other uppity members of the Thornefield Estates community as we uncover what’s really going on behind closed doors. You will never guess the ending, I can promise you that.

“A Good Girls Guide to Murder” Trilogy by: Holly Jackson. The first book was so good that I got in trouble with my husband for not putting it down long enough to be part of the family. The second one was also good, and the third one just blew me away and tied everything together perfectly. Just a girl and her senior project that somehow uncovers the truth of murder and lies and drugs and rape and heartache. It was a wild ride and so many things happened that I never saw coming.

“Breathless” by: Amy McCulloch. I was really unsure about this one in the beginning. A mountain climbing thriller? But this one was a chilly tale of a journalist in way over her head. Climbing a mountain that would change her life in more than one way, because unbeknownst to the climbers, there was a murderer among them and they were too far up by the time they realized it. Someone begins picking them off one by one and they have to figure it out before it’s too late. This book was 5/5 stars for me. Give it a chance and I think you’ll love it too.

“The Silent Patient” by: Alex Michaelides. This book has wildly mixed reviews with people either loving it or hating it. I am on the end of those that love it. I read this one so quickly. I listened to it on audiobook and it made the story even more thrilling if that was possible. This was a true psychological thriller. The wife was suspected of killing her husband and she’s locked in an institution because she wouldn’t speak. She hadn’t spoken in her own defense either. She had acted aggressively, but a new psychotherapist came in to try and break through to her and you will NEVER guess what he uncovers. I promise you that the ending will shock you.

“The Whisper Man” by: Alex North. This book is a TRUE thriller. It is spooky and creepy and left me checking my windows at night for a while. A newly widowed father (Tom) moved his son to a town called Featherbank for a fresh start, only the town had some deep dark secrets, and so did the house that he just moved his grieving son into. A local boy goes missing and Tom’s son starts acting more strangely than usual. Follow this tale as the case of the Whisper Man is looked into again in the search for this missing little boy! TW: missing/kidnapped children, child death

“The Wife Between Us” by: Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. I was late to the party on this one. This was a popular mystery/thriller a few years ago, but I just made my way to it now. It was phenomenal. Every single time I thought that I had figured out what was going on, I was SO WRONG. You think you’re just reading about a husband who traded one wife in for a younger one, or a jealous ex-wife who just can’t let go, but you have NO idea what’s going on. I implore you to read this one and throw out all of your assumptions.

“Every Vow You Break” by: Peter Swanson. This is still one of my favorite Peter Swanson books. Every had your honeymoon become your nightmare? That’s what happened to Abigail Baskin. She met the man of her dreams, married him and went to this beautiful Island for their honeymoon. Only, Abigail has a secret. She got really drunk at her bachelorette party and had a one night stand. She regretted it so much, but moved on and married her love. Now on her honeymoon that stranger is here! On their remote island. Some people won’t make it out alive and the twists and turns of this book are going to make you jaw hit the floor.

“The Writing Retreat” by: Julia Bartz. This is a really cool book that took some unexpected turns. 5 Writers are invited to a writers retreat by a reclusive author. They will get to train under her which was an incredible opportunity. Once they arrive they learn that they will have a month to write an entire novel. During that month they learn that sinister things are going on there and have been for years. Women begin to die and the rest of them are trapped. Follow this tale and find out who makes it out alive to tell their tale,

The Last Word by Taylor Adams. This was my first Taylor Adams book and it was a good one. This was the most action packed thriller I read this year. What happens when you write a one star review and the author literally hunts you down? Find out in this book. I read this one so fast because the action started really quickly. I loved how he set this book up and the ending held quite the surprise. It also had me second guessing my reviews for a while.

I had so much fun going back through my reading list and picking out thrillers for this post. I have more, but these are the best of the best (for now). My TBR (to be read) is full of thrillers to come, so I might have to make this an annual post. What will you be reading this spooky season? Let me know in the comments (or head over to social media and find my post about Spooky Season Reads)!