Lists
The best psychological thriller books published this year
Who doesn’t love a psychological thriller? Whether it’s a strange family house or an idyllic little town hiding dark secrets, few genres can offer such a thrilling journey into the human psyche. If you’re looking for your next fix, or for a Christmas present for a crime fiction lover, here is our list of the most captivating psychological thrillers that have been recently published.
Best new psychological thriller books 2023
None of This is True by Lisa Jewell
None of This is True by Lisa Jewell
Published July 2023
Podcast host Alix first meets fellow mum Josie at the school gates, and it isn’t long before the two of them hit it off. It turns out Josie is a fan of her podcast series, and excitedly suggests herself as a guest. Tentatively, Alix agrees, but digging into Josie’s past will reveal truths Alix can’t even begin to imagine… The bestselling author of The Family Upstairs does not disappoint with her latest novel – it’s nail-bitingly addictive.
The Woman Who Lied by Claire Douglas
The Woman Who Lied by Claire Douglas
Published July 2023
The latest novel from the bestselling author Claire Douglas is a little closer to home. It’s about Emilia Ward, a crime writer living a quiet suburban life with her husband and two kids as she begins to pen her tenth crime novel. Her world is turned upside down when someone turns up dead – in the exact same way as one of the characters in the novel she is currently writing. Can she find out who is doing this, and why? And will she be able to stop them before someone she loves is next?
My Other Husband by Dorothy Koomson
My Other Husband by Dorothy Koomson
Published April 2023
Much like The Woman Who Lied, My Other Husband focuses on dark fiction becoming reality. Cleo Forsum writes a hugely successful TV series about a baker-turned-detective who solves crimes, but she’s decided to walk away from her beloved TV show and divorce her husband. That is, until murders start happening to people around her, in the style of those that have happened on the TV episodes she has written.
Cleo thinks she knows who is trying to frame her, but if she tells the police then she’ll have to confess about her other husband. Layers of shocking twists unfold in this propulsive drama, with the big reveal making this one of Koomson’s best.
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Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapena
Published July 2023
A small, supposedly idyllic town can make the perfect setting for a psychological thriller, and the latest novel from Shari Lapena is certainly no exception. Stanhope is full of pretty streets and well-to-do families, but when schoolgirl Avery goes missing – after catching her dad having an affair – it is no longer the safe haven everybody thought it was. As the police scramble to find her, it looks as though Avery’s dad isn’t the only one keeping secrets.
The Beach Party by Nikki Smith
The Beach Party by Nikki Smith
Published July 2023
Mallorca, 1989. A group of friends have descended for a post-graduation holiday. It’s the holiday of a lifetime, until a deadly accident at a beach party changes everything. Fast-forward to the present day and everyone has buried what happened that night. But someone knows something, and they want the friends to pay for what they did. A masterful debut novel that keeps you guessing right up until the very end.
The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard
The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard
Published August 2023
In this unpredictable novel of tension-and-release, a young woman takes a calculated risk and accepts a ride home, in the middle of the night, from a perfect stranger. Is he a kind person helping someone in need, or an absolute monster? If it’s the former, she’ll try again tomorrow; she’s looking for the man who took her sister, and she won’t stop until she’s found the right car. . .
Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter
Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter
Published July 2023
In a case that gripped the nation, Luke Ryder was murdered in his own back garden, leaving behind a wife and three stepchildren. Years later, a famous true crime TV show is re-investigating this case with truly shocking results – but just how have they got so much new information? Perhaps the truth lies closer to home… This novel reads like a gripping TV drama, expertly moving between different characters and different formats.
No One Saw A Thing by Andrea Mara
No One Saw A Thing by Andrea Mara
Published May 2023
Two children get on the train; only one gets off. Nobody saw it happen and no one seems to have any answers, but mum Sive is convinced that no one is telling her truth, and the longer the search continues, the harder her daughter seems to be to find. A number one bestseller when it first came out, the way Mara builds the suspense makes this one roller-coaster of a ride.
Have you read any of the books above? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…
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I have read most of the books above. I loved the Shari Lapena which I thought one of her best, the Lisa Jewell and the Cara Hunter. I love it when authors write books in different formats like podcasts etc.
The Trap is on my TBR so I look forward to reading it next year.