Tag: Psychological Thriller

I enjoyed The Widow’s Husband by Lesley Sanderson. It is a solid psych thriller.

It is also a cautionary tale about relationships and how gut instinct may be the best indicator of who to trust.

There is not a lot to unpack from this book because it is not overly complicated or twisty. You don’t have to pay attention to every little detail.

However, if you feel like you should, you might figure out a few of the surprises. Otherwise, it is pretty straightforward.

The blurb clearly spells out the plot, so I don’t need to recap. I found Rachel to be a decent heroine. She is real and her reactions and thoughts are genuine.

I also found Heidi to be a bit more of an enigma, and I think that was on purpose. I have an inherent mistrust for people like her (who doesn’t?). It was difficult to tell if she was “typical” or if there was a surprise to be found in her character.

But of course, I’m not telling you which one of those is right.

I will say that this book is heavy on the “psych” aspect of the psych thriller. Not necessarily because it plays with the reader’s mind, but because there is a lot of introspection.

The author delves heavily into character motivation, which results in long passages of inner monologues. They are good for development but they also do slow down the action.

A last note: I am a bit puzzled about the title. It seems to give away the plot. This is an odd choice given the way the story is crafted.

But regardless, it is still a good psych thriller.

Other books by Lesley Sanderson for you to check out: The Birthday Weekend, Every Little Lie, The Leaving Party, I Know You Lied

Author Bio

Lesley is the author of several psychological thrillers. She spends her days writing in coffee shops in Kings Cross where she lives and works as a librarian. She loves the atmosphere and eclectic mix of people in the area.

There were times in The Breakdown by Arianne Richmonde that I thought the psych thriller would give ME a breakdown.

Seriously, there were so many times that I wondered exactly what was going on.

And there is a LOT going on.

At first, I thought it had a very Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights feel to it. Perhaps that is because of Jayne’s name, or the situation where the nanny is entering into a strange family situation in a fairly secluded area.

I don’t know if that is the intention, but it is a strong vibe.

As I got further in the plot, however, I realized that there was an undercurrent of action that I had missed because I was set in my initial mindset.

At that point, I dropped everything I thought I had figured out and just went along for the ride. Trust me when I say the book is best enjoyed if you do this from the beginning.

I don’t want to say too much about the characters, because this is a case where one thing could give away a bigger plot point.

There is not a large cast of characters, but everyone is hiding something. It does take a bit of concentration to keep everything straight. There are more than a few “blink and you’ll miss it moments.”

And even if you don’t blink, by the time you get to the end, you’ll wonder if there IS something you didn’t notice. Because there are twists you will not see coming. Right up to the very end.

Even though it started a little slow, The Breakdown ended up being another great psych thriller from Arianne Richmonde.

Here are some more of the author’s books to try: The Newlyweds, The Guilty Sister, The Wife’s House

Author Bio:

Arianne Richmonde is the USA TODAY bestselling author of the psychological thrillers, THE WIFE’S HOUSE and THE NEWLYWEDS (published by Bookouture, Hachette UK). Her Pearl series has sold more than half a million copies worldwide. Her stories are always character-driven and full of unexpected twists and turns.

When not writing about the passions and fragilities of human nature, she loves to spend time with her husband and their animals, including a femme fatale Husky with one blue eye and one golden eye. Arianne’s a chocoholic and sometimes sneaks off to sunny, exotic locations, all in the name of research.

I am a fan of Shalini Boland (see my reviews of some of her other books at the end of this review). A psych thriller from her is usually interesting with good twists. The Family Holiday is one of her best.

It kicks off with a mystery narrator (I love those). The reader knows something bad has happened. But the exact situation and victim are unknown until very late in the book (I love that also).

After the brief prologue, the action jumps to Beth and her husband Niall as they decide to take a family holiday to Italy and decide to try a house swap. That’s really all you need to know at this point.

The action is told mainly from Beth’s point of view. A few chapters are from Amber’s (the owner of the other house in the swap) perspective. Italy for England – it certainly seems like Beth and Niall are getting the better end of the deal.

However, there are several layers moving below the surface of the plot, and this is where the story truly becomes a page-turning psych thriller.

Amber is hiding something, but what? Niall is obnoxious and obviously doesn’t want to be on holiday. Why not, if he was the one to suggest it in the first place?

And who is the mystery narrator who appears in brief, periodic chapters?

Anyone who has read this blog knows that I read a lot of psych thrillers. It is difficult to get one by me because I often try to “outwit the author” and guess what the motives and twists are.

That is why, when I find one that has me guessing throughout, I’m super excited to talk about it. And The Family Holiday once again fits that description.

Just when you think you know why Niall is being a jerk or what Amber is hiding, the author throws another twist in.

Honestly, I was up late into the night because I just couldn’t put the book down when I got to the last third of the story.

And when everything is wrapped up and the characters have reached their endpoints, the author still has more in store for the reader.

The Family Holiday is one of the most well-crafted, best-paced, layered psych thrillers I have read in a while. Shalini Boland just keeps getting better.

Other psych thrillers from Shalini Boland: The Other Daughter, One of Us is Lying, The Wife, The Couple Upstairs

Author Bio:

Shalini lives in Dorset, England with her husband, two children and Jess, their cheeky terrier cross. Before kids, she was signed to Universal Music Publishing as a singer songwriter, but now she spends her days writing suspense thrillers (in between school runs and hanging out endless baskets of laundry).

The Stepchild by Nicole Trope is one of those psych thrillers that is good on the surface but has a deeper current of something more sinister.

A psych thriller that can manage both a compelling surface story and underlying tension – and do so effectively – is a winner in my book.

On the surface, it is a simple missing child case. Those parts are fairly straightforward and easy to read. Stepsister is babysitting, little sister goes missing, parents panic, police get involved.

But there is much more to it. I don’t want to give anything away (because you really should enjoy it spoiler-free, like I did), but everyone has secrets.

Where was Leslie (the mom)? Why wasn’t Randall (the dad) around? And what is Shelby (the stepsister) not telling everyone?

The answers to these questions and many more are revealed gradually. I appreciate that, because it is a tactic that allows the action to continue without giving everything away too soon.

Interspersed between Leslie and Shelby’s points of view is Ruth’s story. Ruth is an odd duck – that is apparent from the very beginning.

But as Ruth tells her story in short bursts, you realize that this is where the undercurrent is. This is the heart of the story – and where the twists really come into play.

All of this takes place (as I mentioned) while Millie (the child) is missing. The author does a fantastic job of weaving everything together, keeping the focus on finding Millie, even as character’s secrets and actions threaten to derail the case.

Honestly, it’s a great juggling act and the author handles it deftly with lots of engagement.

I will admit that I guessed at a pretty big twist, but I’ve made no secret about how I like to challenge myself. The author resolves everything to great satisfaction – everyone’s story is realistic.

There should probably be a trigger warning on this book, as it does deal with a pretty serious issue. I really don’t want to say what it is, because that would totally give away big sections of the plot.

You can search other reviews that will most certainly mention specifics. Not here though.

But again, the author handles a very sensitive subject with tact and efficiency, using just enough to get the point across without being heavy-handed or preachy.

Now that I think of it, The Stepchild (and who is the stepchild, really?) is about as close to perfect a psych thriller as a reader could hope for.

Other psych thrillers from Nicole Trope: The Girl Who Never Came Home; The Family Across the Street; The Mother’s Fault; The Nowhere Girl

About the author

Nicole Trope went to university to study Law but realised the error of her ways when she did very badly on her first law essay because-as her professor pointed out- ‘It’s not meant to be a story.’ She studied teaching instead and used her holidays to work on her writing career and complete a Masters’ degree in Children’s Literature.

The idea for her first published novel, The Boy under the Table, was so scary that it took a year for her to find the courage to write the emotional story. Nicole went on to publish a further five novels in Australia before joining Bookouture in 2019. She is a USA Today and Amazon bestseller in the USA, UK, AUS and CAN.

She lives in Sydney with her husband and three children.

I have made no secret of how much I like the way Kerry Wilkinson writes, and The Party at No. 12 is a return to what I like best about a psych thriller.  

Hannah, as the main character, is the perfect foil for everything that occurs. She is sort of wishy-washy, but also intelligent enough to notice things. She also tries to see the best in people, especially those who are close to her.

With everything going on in her life, she has decided to go traveling, and her “going away” party is the one in the title. However, a simple, fun, family and friends get together turns…wrong.

How can I say this next part without giving anything away?

Yes, the action of the book is front-heavy, and a lot happens in the first few chapters. A reader’s inclination may be to think that it is wrapped up and obvious.

But this author is one of the best when it comes to “late-in-the-game” twists. And The Party at No. 12 is the perfect example.

There are several hints along the way, but I didn’t catch many of them until other events occurred, which caused me to look back at things from a different perspective.

I know that is confusing, but I don’t want to give the plot away.

I liked the “mystery” aspect of it because even as the reader knows what happened, there is still a lot to uncover. And having Zach be a catalyst for it is effective.

Again, cagey, I know. But I know of no other way to say it is a great book with lots of twists.

Oh, look at that, I just did!

Seriously, though. Even though the middle dragged just a little bit, The Party at No. 12 is still a great psych thriller. You will not know all of the details and motivations until the very last pages. And that is what makes this latest book from Kerry Wilkinson a must-read.

Check out my review of The Perfect Daughter for a link to other books by Kerry, or type “Kerry Wilkinson” into the search bar! 🙂

Author Bio:

Kerry Wilkinson is from the English county of Somerset but has spent far too long living in the north. It’s there that he’s picked up possibly made-up regional words like ‘barm’ and ‘ginnel’. He pretends to know what they mean.

He’s also been busy since turning thirty: his Jessica Daniel crime series has sold more than a million copies in the UK; he has written a fantasy-adventure trilogy for young adults; a second crime series featuring private investigator Andrew Hunter and the standalone thriller, Down Among The Dead Men.