10 Thrillers for the Gone Girl Obsessed
A few summers back, I read Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I'm actually not sure why I picked it -- considering I watched my first and last scary movie at a sleepover in middle school -- but surprisingly, I loved it. When it comes to thrillers, I still refuse to watch, but I really enjoy reading them. And since finishing Gone Girl, I've read quite a few! Like any other genre, some books are better than others. So to help guarantee a goodie, I've rounded up a list of my favorites.
In other words... if you loved Gone Girl, the following 10 thrillers will not disappoint!
01. The Good Girl // Mary Kubica
The Good Girl is a mystery told in alternating perspectives, shuffling between Mia’s distraught mother, her indecisive abductor, and the determined detective trying his best to find her before it’s too late. I’m not going to spoil this thriller for you, but I’ll admit that the startling ending gave me major chills!
02. The Luckiest Girl Alive // Jessica Knoll
She has a successful career, a stylish Manhattan apartment and a wealthy fiancé. But, we soon learn that her seemingly perfect life is a perfect lie. Unable to forget the details of her traumatic past, Ani is not as lucky as the title suggests.
Knoll’s dark, debut novel proves that the consequences of teenage bullying and assault can be serious, damaging, and long-lasting. While The Luckiest GirlAlive is a work of fiction, the unsettling subject matter is too often a reality and is deserving of attention.
03. Big Little Lies // Liane Moriarty
This book, and HBO mini-series starring Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman and Shailene Woodley, is worthy of all the hype it's received in the media lately.
Featuring moms on juice cleanses, moms who commit murder and every type in between, Liane Moriarty highlights the competitive politics of motherhood in an Australian beachside town -- the stay-at-home mothers versus the career mothers, the single ones versus the married ones, and so on. Leading up to the murder of someone,Big Little Lies followsa group of friends, their children and their complicated, intersecting lives.
04. My Husband's Wife // Jane Corry
Can a marriage end in murder? Even if it’s already dead?
A line so chilling it kept me flipping pages in search of answers. And, my take away is this: whether or not we like to admit it, our past can come back to haunt us -- most often in the form of complicated messes, insecurities and trust issues.
Based on this premise, My Husband's Wife is a domestic thriller, told in the "then" and "now," that follows the lives of flawed, unreliable and intertwined characters. It's devious, dark and desperate and unlike any story you've heard before.
05. The Woman In Cabin 10 // Ruth Ware
Lo Blacklock, a journalist for a popular travel magazine, has been assigned to review the Aurora -- a luxury, boutique cruise ship with ten plush cabins. Despite it's elegant veneer, Lo witnesses what she believes to be a woman being thrown overboard. Suddenly, the career opportunity of a lifetime turns into a confusing, claustrophobic nightmare as Lo searches for the missing woman from Cabin 10.
06. Good As Gone // Amy Gentry
Here's a book you shouldn't stay up late reading, but probably will anyway until you reach the final page of Julie's story. If you're new to thrillers, work your way up to this one!
At 13 years old, Julie is abducted from her Houston home by an unknown intruder. Then, after eight years, Julie finds her way home, traumatized, but alive and with a heartbreaking story to tell. But is it the truth? When her mother finds inconsistencies in her story, she can't help but wonder if the girl living in her home is posing as her long-lost daughter.
07. Maestra // L.S. Hilton
Maestra is the first publication of a thrilling new trilogy where sex and sociopaths collide. From Paris to Portofino, a young and beautiful Judith Ashleigh acts explicitly and selfishly... Let's just say fans of Fifty Shades of Gray should pick up their copy today.
08. Behind Closed Doors // B.A. Paris
From the curb, this Spring Eaton English home seems like a newlywed's dream house. But behind closed doors (and high-security metal shutters), the comfort of home is comparable to that of a prison. As the back-story of Jack's wife unfolds, it becomes disturbingly evident that somewhere, somehow, something went very wrong.
If you follow Easily Inspired on Instagram, you know that I like to keep my followers in the loop about which book I'm reading via Instagram Stories. When I shared that I was a few chapters into Behind Closed Doors, several people responded saying it was a real page-turner, and they were right!
09. Before the Fall // Noah Hawley
Everyone has their path. The choices they've made. How any two people end up in the same place at the same time is a mystery. You get on an elevator with a dozen strangers. You ride a bus, wait in line for the bathroom. It happens every day. To try to predict the places we'll go and the people we'll meet would be pointless.
For the New York elite, it's no big deal to fly to Martha's Vineyard from the city by private jet. But it's a different story when six of the eight total passengers plunge to their death in a crash. Was it a freak accident? A tragedy? Or was it a murder with motive?
It's a mystery that will keep you reading, and make you question if anything in life is ever really in our control.
10. Everything You Want Me to Be // Mindy Mejia
Who is 18-year old Hattie Hoffman? Or should I say, who was she?
To those who knew her, she was a beautiful, small-town Minnesota girl with a bright future ahead of her. She was well-rounded and well-liked, especially by her football player boyfriend.
But her death reveals that her life was nothing but a facade. And whoever knew the truth killed her.
Looking to add a few more titles to your list of thrillers? Check out my Pinterest board, here.