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Only Child by Casey Kelleher is a psych thriller that messes more with the mind of the reader than that of the characters.

You know that there is something else going on in the story, but you can’t quite put your finger on it.

Without giving away the plot, let me try to explain.

This may be short….

As with many a psych thriller, the prologue sets the tone as a young boy stumbles across a gruesome scene. The reader is to assume that is in the past.  

The action then moves to the present, and it unfolds from two perspectives. First, we meet Tessa, who obviously has some issues. But the reader only slowly finds out why and what the issues are.

Then we meet Sherrie, who is an overbearing, watchful mother to Kayla (and wife to Richard). Sherrie seems too perfect, and there is a good reason for that feeling.

The story is told from these two alternate points of view, but it is apparent early on how they dovetail. And at one point a third perspective is added…but is it the present, or is it revisiting the past?

And what does it all have to do with Tessa and Sherrie?

That’s about all that I can say without giving things away. I did guess at one of the twists, but the author does a great job of keeping everything hidden (and dropping clues) along the way. But some of them I missed, so when it got to the big reveal, I was largely surprised.

This book is enjoyable because it explored the depths of insanity, and how easy it is to misconstrue something. Especially when dealing with a psychopath.

And no, I’m not saying who the psychopath actually is in this case.

Casey Kelleher has another winning psych thriller in Only Child. Don’t miss it.

The Family Home by Miranda Smith is a successful psych thriller that kept me guessing almost to the very end.

There are actually several things to recommend about this one.

First, the chapters are short. This serves more than one purpose. One, it is easy to grab a few chapters here and there and not get lost in between. Everything is short and sweet.

Two, this also serves to keep the action moving along at a good pace. At no point did I feel like the plot dragged – it was just a nice steady stream of events that flowed into each other.

I also liked that the author changed up whose perspective the reader got information from in the chapters. Most of the story is Lillian’s, but there are a few well-placed chapters from Matthew’s point of view.

Those are just enough for the reader to wonder which one of them is reliable – or if neither or both of them are.

That’s another thing that works well in this book. The author drops just enough hints and clues that it should be easy to figure things out. But it’s not.

As in any good psych thriller, the reader is left trying to take in all of the information but wondering if the author is pulling one over on them. As Lillian does or doesn’t trust people, the reader has the same questions.

There are a few moments that don’t exactly ring true. The setting confused me. At one point Lillian is looking out over the Pacific Ocean. But then there is a reference to Florida being “10 hours away.”

This is vague enough that makes me wonder where the action is taking place. Australia is a 19-hour flight and California is roughly five hours. Hawaii and Alaska are about 10 hours, so maybe? Maybe I missed that somewhere along the way.

Additionally, towards the end, it is mentioned that Matthew heads “down south” to Florida. What? Honestly, it’s not that hard to be geographically accurate these days.

There are also a couple of minor moves by the characters, mostly Lillian, that make no sense. But these are definitely minor in the bigger scheme of things.

The last 25% of the book picks up a lot of speed – the author cleverly builds the tension to this point and then lets everything break loose. And just when you think you have things figured out with the characters, you probably don’t.

It’s been difficult for me to concentrate on books the past month – The Family Home grabbed me and kept me interested from beginning to end. So, kudos to Miranda Smith for writing a gripping psych thriller.

The New Couple by Alison James is a psych thriller that benefits from the method in which the story unfolds.

The setup is simple enough. A young couple wins a lottery for a house in a nice part of town. However, when they do move in, not everything is as it seems.

It seems as if several people in the neighborhood are hiding a secret. But who has the darkest secret of all?

Jane is the person who first notices that something seems off with the new couple. The entire first half of the book is from her perspective. As I read her suspicions and followed her actions, I could see myself thinking in the same manner she did.

I actually liked how her concerns were dismissed by people for various reasons. That made her relatable in my eyes. But she knew what she saw and what didn’t look right, and she ended up being more accurate than she imagined.

I don’t want to go into too many details, because it would be easy to give some of the secrets away. Suffice to say that the author does a great job of keeping the reader guessing.

I mentioned how the first part of the story belongs to Jane. The action unfolds in three sections. The second two belong to characters…who have something to do with the lottery.

But honestly, I don’t want to say what or who because it will give away part of the story.

There are a few moments and characters that seem superfluous. They appear for a scene or two and have nothing else to do other than that one moment. But that’s okay. The overall plot remains engaging.

If you’re looking for a psych thriller with a few surprises, I would definitely recommend The New Couple by Alison James.

There are all kinds of crazy going on in My Husband’s Secret, a psych thriller from L.G. Davis that is one of the most gonzo stories I can remember reading in a long time.

You can get the plot from the blurb. Simply put, Avery receives a call that her husband has been in an accident. Before he slips into a coma, he whispers four words: I took a life.

This simple statement obviously causes much turmoil in Avery’s life. She has to worry about her husband being in a coma. But she also tries to reconcile his statement with the man she knows and loves.

As she determines to figure it all out, she uncovers long-held family secrets and – well – the aforementioned all kinds of crazy.

It would be easy to slip and give something away, so I don’t want to talk about those family secrets.

The beginning of the book was a little slow. I understand that the foundations need to be laid early on, but I wish that there had been a little bit more oomph to it. However, I suppose there was just enough to keep me reading.

The second half of the book really picked up speed and as the secrets come to light the reader is as breathless as Avery trying to figure everything out. The author definitely puts the psych in psych thriller here.

Avery actually is a problem for me. I get that she is under a lot of stress, but she makes some really bad decisions along the way that seem more common sense than anything else. For example, if you happen to be concerned about your daughter, you don’t keep leaving her with other people. Just sayin’.

At any rate, the last quarter of the book really kicks up the tension and the final twists will probably leave you surprised.

Although it is slightly uneven, I did enjoy My Husband’s Secret, and I will look for the next psych thriller from L.G. Davis..