-| Book Recommendations… Psychological Thrillers That Are Worth The Read |-

I don’t know about you guys but I really struggle to find a thriller that wows me, so I’ve decided to share with you my top 5. I tried to choose a couple that you may not be aware of as I feel that books which are really hyped up end up being the ones most likely to disappoint.

Let’s count down my top 5…
(writing that gave me throwback Top of the Pops vibes!)

Did You See Melody by Sophie Hannah

Pushed to the breaking point, Cara Burrows abandons her home and family and escapes to a five-star spa resort she can’t afford. Late at night, exhausted and desperate, she lets herself into her hotel room and is shocked to find it already occupied – by a man and a teenage girl.
A simple mistake on the part of the hotel receptionist – but Cara’s fear intensifies when she works out that the girl she saw alive and well in the hotel room is someone she can’t possibly have seen: the most famous murder victim in the country, Melody Chapa, whose parents are serving life sentences for her murder.
Cara doesn’t know what to trust: everything she’s read and heard about the case, or the evidence of her own eyes. Did she really see Melody? And is she prepared to ask herself that question and answer it honestly if it means risking her own life?

This was actually one of the first books I reviewed on NetGalley, It was about 2 years ago so being honest I can’t remember it very well. All I know is that everytime I think about good Psychological Thrillers this one comes to mind, it’s pretty different to what you normally read so I would say it’s worth giving this a shot.

The Hiding Place by John Burley

She can’t reach him … but he can get to her …
Dr Lise Shields works with the most deadly criminals in America. At Menaker psychiatric hospital all are guilty and no one ever leaves. Then she meets Jason Edwards.
Jason is an anomaly. No transfer order, no patient history, no paperwork at all. Is he really guilty of the horrific crimes he’s been sentenced for?
Caught up in a web of unanswered questions and hastily concealed injustices, the spotlight begins to shine on Lise. She’s being watched, and the doors of Menaker psychiatric hospital are closing in.
In Lise’s quest to discover the truth, is there anywhere left to hide?

This book is definitely underrated, I think I picked it up because I needed another book to claim an offer but it ended up being so good! I remember reading it heavily pregnant so that was three and a half years ago and I still think about it now! I’ve just given it to Chris’ auntie to read so I’m excited to see what she thinks of this. I was completely gobsmacked at the end and I couldn’t start a new book for a little while after because I was shook!

The Good Samaritan by John Marrs

She’s a friendly voice on the phone. But can you trust her?
The people who call End of the Line need hope. They need reassurance that life is worth living. But some are unlucky enough to get through to Laura. Laura doesn’t want them to hope. She wants them to die.
Laura hasn’t had it easy: she’s survived sickness and a difficult marriage only to find herself heading for forty, unsettled and angry. She doesn’t love talking to people worse off than she is. She craves it.
But now someone’s on to her—Ryan, whose world falls apart when his pregnant wife ends her life, hand in hand with a stranger. Who was this man, and why did they choose to die together?
The sinister truth is within Ryan’s grasp, but he has no idea of the desperate lengths Laura will go to…
Because the best thing about being a Good Samaritan is that you can get away with murder.

I’ve never read a book like this before, someone on a helpline wanting the people who ring up in desperate need of help to actually kill themselves? This is so messed up but in the best possible way, I was hooked from the very first page!

The Innocent Wife by Amy Lloyd

You Love Him. You Trust Him. So Why Are You So Scared?
Twenty years ago, Dennis Danson was arrested and imprisoned for the brutal murder of a young girl. Now he’s the subject of a true-crime documentary that’s whipping up a frenzy online to uncover the truth and free a man who has been wrongly convicted.
A thousand miles away in England, Samantha is obsessed with Dennis’s case. She exchanges letters with him, and is quickly won over by his apparent charm and kindness to her. Soon she has left her old life behind to marry him and campaign for his release.
When the campaign is successful and Dennis is freed, however, Sam begins to discover new details that suggest he may not be quite so innocent after all.
But how do you confront your husband when you don’t want to know the truth?

I have mentioned this book a few times as I love it so much! This gave me serious ‘Making A Murderer’ vibes, if you enjoyed that documentary then you will definitely like this book.

You Let Me In by Lucy Clarke

Nothing has felt right since Elle rented out her house . . .
I’M IN YOUR HOUSE
There’s a new coldness. A shift in the atmosphere. The prickling feeling that someone is watching her every move from the shadows.
I’M IN YOUR HEAD
Maybe it’s all in Elle’s mind? She’s a writer – her imagination, after all, is her strength. And yet every threat seems personal. As if someone has discovered the secrets that keep her awake at night.
AND NOW I KNOW YOUR SECRET
As fear and paranoia close in, Elle’s own home becomes a prison. Someone is unlocking her past – and she’s given them the key…

This is going to be hard to push off the top spot! This was one of my favourite books from 2018 and I still absolutely love it now, my best friend finally read this last month and her reaction was amazing! This is definitely a psychological thriller that will not disappoint you, I was still thinking about this for weeks after I had finished it.

I’d love to be able to read these again but that’s just not something you can do with thrillers as knowing the end takes the fun away.
Do you have any favourites?

See you in the next one…