Psychological thrillers with a twist - recommendations please

[Hftgl]

That’s it really, anyone got any recommendations?

[ScreamingValenta]

Elspeth was that the Louise Candlish novel or the one Stealth mentioned?

[ElspethFlashman]

The LC one. It was like one of those histrionic ITV dramas about middle class people being naughty amongst the wisteria, except even more far fetched. Not for me.

[Judystilldreamsofhorses]

A bit more detective-y, but the early Sophie Hannah books are very good. Erin Kelly’s early stuff (The Poison Tree, The Sick Rose) is fantastic. I’ve read a lot of the books mentioned up thread and really loved The Hunting Party. It’s not the time of year for it, and it possibly isn’t a true psychological thriller in the sense most of the books on the thread are, but The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield is a book that stayed with me long after reading it.

[Judystilldreamsofhorses]

sorry, me again - I loved Blood Oranges by Harriet Tyce earlier in the year. A bit Appletree Yard-ish.

[ScreamingValenta]

I second Sophie Hannah. I don't usually read anything which includes a police point of view, because I find police procedural stuff really dull, but I make an exception for Sophie Hannah.

[Judystilldreamsofhorses]

valenta I actually quite like a police procedural, but Sophie Hannah’s are just so much more than that - really clever. I felt like the last couple of Culver Valley ones were a wee bit daft, but the earlier are ones are so, so well done. If anyone hasn’t read them and fancies them, I would say start in order because the police characters really develop as they go along.

[ScreamingValenta]

Yes, I completely agree - I love Sophie Hannah's clever plots. Her early novel, Cordial and Corrosive, is one of my favourite books - not exactly a psychological thriller, but full of puzzles. About 80% of thrillers I find don't stand up to a re-read - they're only page-turners until I find out what has happened - but I'll re-read SH again and again to appreciate the quality of the plotting and the humour in the prose.

[growlingbear]

Tana French is good. In the Woods was great. I loved Blacklands by Belinda Bauer - great story. Alex Marwood is always good too: Wicked Girls and the one based on a child going missing at a house party were both riveting.
Classic US thrillers Tell No One by Harlen Coben and No Time To Say Goodbye by Linwood Barclay both kept me addicted with curiosity as to what had really happened.

[growlingbear]

I hated Our House too. Load of twaddle. Withholding massive clues from the reader and then shoving them in at the end is such weak plotting.

[glittertissues]

Shamelessly placemarking for when I dig out my kindle tomorrow!

[narcissistseverywhere]

I hated Our House too, really unpleasant characters, I know he was supposed to be, but I really wanted to warm to her a bit more

[xmasbaba2014]

The Silent Patient is very good

[ThatCurlyGirl]

Ooh Primal Fear for sure.

Fuuuuck such a good ending.

[Starstruck2020]

A simple favour was good. It might not be “hardcore” enough though

[ThatCurlyGirl]

Ooh really enjoyed A Simple Favour - it went on Netflix today and I was really impressed with it. Just the right amount of comedy within it too.

And fucking hell I don't know who I fancy more, Blake Lively or her entire wardrobe in the film. Fucccck it's so hot.

[growlingbear]

I was really disappointed in the film A Simple Favour. It suffered from that thriller ailment of being randomly preposterous rather than a slow burn f real behaviour sliding out of control. If you go back to writers like Patricia Highsmith, there's always a real motivation for the behaviour, whereas today it seems to just be: sling a psycho into suburbia and let anything happen.

[Binforky]

I hated Our House as well I just didn't care enough about any of the characters.

The woman in the window is good.

I recently listened to "Our Kind of Cruelty" which I quite liked. It did scare me a bit as I feel like it's from inside the head of my ex.

[Binforky]

I also liked the silent patient and the girl before.

[TakeOneForTheBreem]

A bit old school but I recently reread The Firm by John Grisham. So tense. Some of it is ludcirous, but it's so well written that it doesn't bother me.

[EmmaJR1]

Behind closed doors by BA Paris is also very chilling.

[PrincessMonacoOfKent]

I've just read The Chain by Adrian McKinty, and Sleep by CL Taylor which were both excellent.

If you fancy a legal thriller, I'd definitely recommend Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh. It's the 4th Eddie Flynn book and by far the best, but you don't need to have read the other three books first (just go back and read them after!).

[rosegoldwatcher]

xmasbaba2014 thank you for the recommendation. I downloaded The Silent Patient this morning and have just finished it. It has a WTAF twist at 93% (Kindle!) which I was NOT expecting!
It is to be made into a film (courtesy of Brad Pitt's production company.)
Who would you have playing Theo and Alicia?

Binforky I read Our Kind of Cruelty yesterday. I thought that I would love it (as I had previously read and loved Everything and Nothing by the same author.) But I found it very juvenile and wanted to hear from Verity's PoV at the end.

[househunter2019]

The Widow by Fiona Barton was good. Also, The Girl Before by JP Delaney.

[TonTonMacoute]

A book called 'Based on a True Story' by a French writer Delphine de Vigan. I am usually a bit disappointed by the twists in these books, but this one quite impressed me!

[rosegoldwatcher]

@growlingbear - I loved The Silent Girls too. Alex Marwood's new book The Poison Garden is available on Kindle tomorrow.

Have just finished Now You See Her by Heidi Perks - good, especially for 99p.