Tag: Psychological Thriller

I like a good psych thriller where there are multiple suspects for whatever trickery is going on. The Daughter-in-Law by Shalini Boland falls squarely in that category.

The story starts with a prologue (as these often do) and then jumps to the current time. This prologue is one of the ones that you know involves the main characters – you just don’t know who or why.

I thought the premise was good, maybe a bit unbelievable, but that’s the way psych thrillers go. In this case, the cleverness of the author is that the characters are written in a way that makes the reader unsure of who to trust.

For example, alternating points of view between Caroline and Lillian give us the plot and tell us the story. However, it is difficult to get a handle on both of them. Caroline is off on the wrong foot, and Lillian seems overbearing.

But are they actually in the positions they seem to be in?

I know that sounds convoluted, but (as always) I don’t want to give anything away.

After their roles are (somewhat) clear, a third perspective appears. At first, those brief chapters seem disjointed. But a little more information appears each time.

It’s up to the reader to put 2+2 together, and some readers may come up with 5. I did figure out one twist, but the author had a couple of others I did not guess. Some of my guesses were wrong. I appreciate a plot that makes me change my mind about the characters.

A psych thriller is difficult to write about because a small slip could ruin the experience for another reader. However, I will say that you can read this quickly. I read it in one sitting. It clipped along at a good pace, and I was never bored.

Shalini Boland has become a favorite psych thriller author, and The Daughter-in-Law is a perfect example of why I will continue to look forward to her novels.

The Nurse’s Secret by Liz Lawler is a psych thriller that self-identifies as a police procedural. The result is….well, read on.

I thought the premise was good. I mean, a story should be good when it starts with a murder, right? And obviously, nurses are supposed to help people, so the title indicates that this may not be the case.   

The story unfolds from three points of view, Sarah, Nick, and Charlie. It’s an interesting choice because as a psych thriller, I would have thought more would have been from Sarah and another character’s point of view.

Nick and Charlie are both law enforcement, investigating the murder, so their perspectives are more similar to each other. And since they make up two-thirds of the story, I think that’s why I got a definite police procedural vibe.

That’s okay, but it wasn’t what I was expecting.

Additionally, there’s a history between two of the main characters (not saying who), so that complicates some of the aspects of the story.

There are also a lot of extraneous characters. Some of them, we get to know, and some are already out of the picture before the story even starts. In fact, everything is very character driven.

This means there are a lot of balls to keep in the air, and a lot of connections to try to keep straight. Add this to the detailed police info, and it all of a sudden isn’t a page-turning psych thriller. It’s more, “I hope I can keep everything straight” and “Wait, who is that again?”

It also doesn’t help that the murderer is pretty obvious from early on. The reveals come fast and furious in the last 10-15% of the book, but by then so much has occurred, it’s almost a throwaway.

And that’s another thing: the pacing is uneven. There are long sections that seem to serve no purpose and then everything happens very quickly at the end. I like a bit more evenness in my stories.

If you’re looking for a traditional psych thriller, The Nurse’s Secret isn’t it. However, if you understand that there is mystery upon mystery, lots of focus on character and convoluted motives, along with a hefty focus on police work, then Liz Lawler has written the book for you.

I think I would have liked it more if I had known the latter.

The Girlfriend by K.L. Slater is a psych thriller that is heavy on the psych – but almost as heavy on the thriller.

I knew it was going to be a different read when there was no prologue.

There’s almost always a prologue in psych thrillers.

Instead, this one uses the first few chapters of “real-time” action to set the stage for the events that follow.

I really like this approach. It felt more like watching the opening of a crime show with the whole set-up that occurs before the opening credits.

If you’re a careful reader, you may also notice that there are clues in these opening chapters that play a bigger part in the overall story. But they’re difficult to find.

Without giving anything away (read the blurb and the cover for an overview), let’s just say that not everything is as it seems. The characters you think you understand, you probably don’t.

And the motives you think you’ve figured out, you probably haven’t.

One thing that is done very well in this book is the “psych” part of psych thriller. There are layers upon layers of psychological warfare at play.  

There are also a lot of little clues and hints dropped along the way. Some are red herrings, and some are legit. It’s nearly impossible to tell which is which until you get to the end, though.

As the book reaches the climax, there are a few revelations that I did not see coming. Pretty sure if I went back in, there were hints that would have told me (like I already mentioned).

And about the climax and the end? Those felt rushed. The author had been very methodical to a point and then it all just…sort of went whoosh and it was over.

I am not so keen on that.

At any rate, The Girlfriend is an intriguing read. K.L. Slater has written another solid psych thriller.

Ellery Kane knows how to write a psych thriller that keeps the reader guessing, second-guessing, and then doubling back and guessing yet again. The Good Wife had me doing just that. Multiple times.

One thing I love about this author’s books is the pacing. The reader knows that the groundwork is being laid for future twists, so it’s comfortable to just float along and let the story be spun.

Not to say that there isn’t a lot of action in this book because there are several “can’t put it down” sections. I guess I’m trying to say that even in the “not-so-exciting” portions, I remained enthralled, wondering where the author would go next.

And it usually was not where I expected it to go.

The more I think about it, however, the more I see where it would be easy to slip up and give away the big secret, so I’m going to try hard NOT to do that.

I liked how the author left little clues along the way, but also kept revealing certain things that had nothing to do with the bigger reveal.

Or did they?

I guess the simplest way to put it is that the author built an intricate web of connections, lies, half-truths, and deceit. Really, nobody was safe from being caught in it.

I thought the use of the courtroom drama was effective and added another layer of character study to the plot. How far will a sconed woman go to defend her husband?

And how much do we ever really know about the people who are supposed to be the closest to us?

There was also a very quick, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment late in the book that mirrors the beginning. I caught it, but not sure others will. An extremely telling moment in retrospect.

Ellery Kane has written another compelling psych thriller. The Good Wife will keep you turning pages until the final reveal.

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.