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You’d be hard-pressed to find a psych thriller that better typifies the genre than this one. It has everything a reader wants in a book.

Lily is a sympathetic main character/narrator. She’s smart, intuitive, and a little too trusting. That last one is important because it has a big impact on the plot. It is vital she sees nothing wrong with her life until she’s in the middle of a mess.

But exactly what is the mess, and who is responsible for it?

I don’t think she is naïve in any way, although some readers may take her as such. I like that she is a teacher first and foremost because she looks at her problems from several different angles. As a teacher myself, I can relate to that.

The author does a great job of building the foundation through the first part of the book. It is the perfect example of “setting the stage.” The action moves along even though there are a lot of details to put in place.

And once those details are in place, hang on…because once Lily starts to realize certain things the action takes off and doesn’t let up until the very last pages. Actually, not even then.

The way the storylines converge is masterful. The parallels between the past and present situations are each detailed and unique but with enough similarities that the reader recognizes the important patterns.

This is vital to the story. But I’m not going to say why, because that would give away the plot. And that would be no fun to new readers. I did guess a few points, but only because I like to challenge myself to see if I can think like the author.

I rooted for Lily pretty much the entire book. There was only one part about ¾ through that I thought was out of character, but as I continued to read, I realized why she did what she did.

There are other characters in the book (of course). I don’t want to say anything specific about Edward and his family, because I might slip up. But let’s just say that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I felt for Noah. And Marsha was a good friend.

But really, this psych thriller should be at the top of your list. I couldn’t put it down and read late into the night to finish it. An excellent entry in the genre.

Also by this author: The Night Away

Author Bio:
Jess Ryder is the pseudonym of Jan Page, author, screenwriter, playwright and award-winning television producer. After many years working in children’s media, she has recently embarked on a life of crime. Writing, that is. Her other big love is making pots.

Hoooooo boy, does Mel have a tough time in this psych thriller.

She’s already out her man, about to be out of her house, and her career…well, that’s not in such great shape either.

So, when her co-worker offers her the chance at a blind date, she considers taking him up on it.

Little does she know how wrong that can all go. And boy, does it go wrong.

Although the setup was efficient, it all really takes off when Mel takes over the late-night shift at the radio station. Soon, all kinds of things happen and Mel feels like she is getting hit on all sides.

The author does a great job of creating a spooky atmosphere through little hints here and there. Additionally, the claustrophobia of a radio booth can’t be beaten. There were times that it reminded me of the 1980s television show “Midnight Caller.”

Especially when Mel receives calls from a person who eerily has a similar story to her own.

I had my suspicions about every character at some point. The only ones I didn’t feel added to anything were Niall and Fiona. That seemed to be more contrived to get Mel to the next point, rather than truly having any impact.

Mel was intriguing. At times, she seemed to bring the drama on herself. Her lack of self-confidence, greatly shaken, added to her being uncertain about where to turn when things got very weird.

There were a few things that appeared out of nowhere, and I am not sure I buy a couple of the twists and relationships.

But I still enjoyed this psych thriller immensely. In fact, I read it in one day – which is highly unusual for me. So, I do recommend it.

Just be aware that you will not know who to believe and what the real story is until the very end. And I mean the very last page.

Other psych thrillers from this author:

• His Hidden Wife
• The Bride

Author Bio:

Wendy Clarke was a teacher until the small primary school where she worked closed down. Now she is a writer of psychological suspense but is also well known for her short stories and serials which regularly appear in national women’s magazines.

Wendy has two children and three step-children and lives with her husband, cat and step-dog in Sussex. When not writing, she is usually indulging in her passion for dancing, singing or watching any programme that involves food!

This psychological thriller started with a great lead-in that drew me in and there were some really good moments in the rest of the story. There were certainly enough lies to go around.

First, I could tell that Anna was fake from the beginning. I’m not going to give anything away, but any time a character projects a façade as much as she did? A dead giveaway that there is something to hide.

I thought the setup was also effective. Feeling that way about Anna, I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. The author did a good job of building tension and even threw in a few red herrings to keep the reader guessing.

However, I felt that some of them were too “out of the blue” and didn’t go anywhere. A good red herring drags the reader along for a bit. In this regard, there were a couple of characters who seemed superfluous. Although, they did add to Anna’s suspicions, so there is that.

I will admit that I didn’t exactly see the major twist coming. There were a few things I guessed, but I didn’t get the big connection right away, so well done on that!

Once Anna and Seb’s storylines converge, the action really gets going. The second half of the book reads much faster than the first half.

A lot of the narration was Anna thinking about things. Some of the passages were long and drawn out which took me out of the action. Likewise, there were characters in her memory that seemed just as useless as the ones in the present.

In retrospect, none of the characters was very likable, which I think actually added to the story. It was just a shame that there was a child in the middle of all of them.

The climax was definitely page-turning and was really the only part of the book where I felt like I was “watching” something happen. The author did a great job with this pivotal scene.

And while there were parts of the resolution that I appreciated I thought the final decision of the characters was odd. The person who ended up with Evie was no better than the other options (in my opinion).

It was still a good read, and I definitely recommend the book as an engaging psychological thriller.

Other psychological thrillers from this author:

• The Birthday Weekend
• I Know You Lied
• The Leaving Party

Author Bio

Lesley Sanderson spends her days writing in coffee shops in Kings Cross where she lives and also works as a librarian in a multicultural school. She has lived and worked in Paris and speaks four languages.

There is an awful lot going on in this new psychological thriller. I’ll do my best to unpack it all and make sense of it.

I will say right off that the author drew me in with a youth soccer team being the center of the story. We have been involved with youth soccer at numerous levels for over 12 years, so I instantly related to every single issue and complaint that arose.

It also made it easy for me to understand the different characters. Every team has its stereotypical soccer parents. So, that was also something that made it interesting for me.

On top of that, the author added a great bit of mysticism, from the ducking stool to the creepy woods, and even the new age-y mom. That’s another interest of mine, so those aspects drew me in as well.

I liked how the author kept me guessing about several aspects of the story. How much did the spookiness matter? Why was the dynamic of the football team all screwed up? What happened to Alex’s husband?

And who was behind the gossipy videos exposing the deepest secrets of the parents?

Those questions made for some page-turning moments.

However, I think that in some ways, the author did try to do too much, which can be disappointing in a psychological thriller. There were times that it seemed to lose focus and some of the threads didn’t get as much attention as they deserved.

For example, the spookiness of it all was kind of woven through, but never really came to fruition. There was an ending section that made me wonder if there was more to that, but it was a bit unclear.

Additionally, a few of the jaw-dropping twists were ultimately too forced. As most of the book read smoothly, the reveals did not seem plausible. This was especially true in Alex’s case. I thought that plotline went too wonky.

Other people may have a completely different take on it.

I would still recommend this book because the spookiness was perfect for this time of year. And if you’re a football (soccer) fan, you will recognize several characters. Definitely worth your time!

Author Bio

Claire Seeber is a Londoner who started her professional life as a (bad) actress and went on to become a documentary maker, lucky enough to travel the world meeting amazing people. Also writing features for newspapers such as the Guardian and Independent, when she had her first baby in 2004, Claire started writing psychological thrillers. The Observer called her first novel, Lullaby, ‘a disturbing debut’ whilst the Guardian called it ‘powerful’. Her third thriller Never Tell became a bestseller, and she has been published in more than twelve different languages.

Claire has been CWA Dagger-nominated, also writes for stage and screen, and today studies psychotherapy, as well as (trying to) manage a home of slightly feral children and animals. Luckily her very nice partner helps too.