Do you want to read awesome thriller books that keep you on the edge of your seat and wow you with their complexity?
These five thriller books did just that to me! All I wanted was to keep reading and reading and reading. My mind was a mess from all the guessing I was doing and the emotions they stirred in me.
BEWARE THOUGH!
Most of them include some descriptive scenes some readers might find offensive or hard to read.
This includes rape/sexual assault, child abuse, physical and psychological torture, descriptive crime scenes, and descriptive sex scenes.
Here’s what you will read below:
- Where The Blame Lies by Mia Sheridan
- Where The Truth Lives by Mia Sheridan
- Find Her by Lisa Gardner
- The Torment Of Others by Val McDermid
- Stone Cold Heart by Laura Griffin,
each separated into three parts:
- Synopsis
- My Thoughts about the books
- Teaser (short passage from the books)
KEEP READING to find out WHY these novels IMPRESSED ME SO MUCH!
Table of Contents
Thriller Books That Will Blow Your Mind
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Where The Blame Lies by Mia Sheridan
- Synopsis
Josie Stratton was abducted when she was 19. Taken from her own bed and chained in a basement where no one could find her. For almost a year she endured the physical, sexual and mental abuse her abductor subjected her to.
Until she escaped.
Eight years later, the body of a young woman chained in a basement is discovered. Tortured and violated. The details of this case remind Cincinnati Police Detective Zach Copeland of the horrors Josie went through a few years back. He was a rookie then.
The problem? Josie’s aggressor killed himself eight years ago. But Zach knows the crimes are connected somehow. Could it be a copycat?
After surviving hell, Josie has been trying to rebuild her life. She’s still fearful but doesn’t let that ruin her future. Not even when, after eight years since the tragedy that scarred her, another mad man seems to have picked up where his predecessor left off.
As Zack and Josie spend more time together, they form a connection she thought she would never need again after what she went through. But his main job is to protect her from the vicious killer and find him before more women suffer at his hands.
The book is told from dual points of view and in the third person. It expertly alternates between “Before” and the present time.
- My Thoughts
I can’t stress enough how much I LOVED this book. Adore it! It has everything and more. Engaging plot, believable and sweet characters, chemistry, that connection between the characters that makes you go “Ohhh, I want that”, well-constructed dialogue. Not to mention the atmosphere Mia Sheridan creates, making you feel like you are there witnessing or living those moments.
The fear and desperation become so real to you! The suspense is insane! The darkness surrounding these cases is almost palpable. Mia’s writing style is descriptive enough to keep you interested and make you feel.
Josie, the heroine of this novel, is something special. So much has been taken from her, yet she proves to be the epitome of determination, strength, and selflessness. She’s also caring and loyal that you just can’t help but admire her.
Through her, Mia Sheridan creates psychological tension.
I can honestly say I did not know who the serial killer was. I’m a pretty good detective, and my guesses were all over the place. Needless to say, the revelation SHOCKED me! It made the book a lot creepier!
Then there’s the romance part. If you do not know Mia Sheridan, she mostly writes romance novels. I’ve seen that recently she’s tried the thriller books genre and oh my God, she does it so well and effortlessly! The mixture of thriller and romance is an enjoyable combination.
But anyway, back to the romance! It’s not the main focus, but it’s just enough to add more emotions to this masterpiece. There are some heart-warming moments between Josie and Zach. Some sexy ones, as well.
One more thing: there is a scene near the end that impressed me profoundly. It involves Josie, the heroine, and the sacrifice she does for someone she loves. I honestly don’t see how that scene alone won’t make the entire book memorable. I CRIED reading that! It WILL break your heart.
- Teaser
“He leaned even closer, and she could tell by the movement of his mask that he was smiling beneath it. ‘Because,’ he said, ‘because you’re a whore, and you d-deserve to be treated like one.’ His words washed over her along with his scent. It registered, memory responding. Pineapple. Coconut. Something overly sweet and tropical.
And she knew immediately who he was.”
Where The Truth Lives by Mia Sheridan
- Synopsis
In this follow-up of Where The Blame Lies, a gruesome serial killer is terrorizing Cincinnati.
The book starts with a raw and heavy prologue that takes the reader back to when Elizabeth Nolan (Liza) was just a child. We get a glimpse into the horrible past she has, one that influences most of her decisions as an adult. Including becoming a doctor and the start of her relationship with the hero.
Switching to the present time, during a night out, she picks up someone at a bar, and they have a one-night stand. Little does she know their paths will cross again when, one morning, she discovers the dead body of the director of the local mental health hospital she works at.
The detective assigned to investigate this case? You can probably guess who I’m referring to. His name is Reed Davis. If you read the previous book first, you’ll know/understand who he is. Telling you here will spoil the other novel, and we don’t want that;)
The killer has a sadistic manner in which he poses the victims. This obviously has a certain significance, and the detectives need to figure out what that is. But this is just one small piece of a greater puzzle.
As they put together the evidence and information they discover, unexpected connections between characters start to unravel. But this killer has a purpose, and he has not finished his work yet. Everything he does has a meaning, and everyone plays a different role.
Some characters have to fight for survival, others try to redeem themselves, while a few of them won’t stop until they save the lives of those they protect and care about.
- My Thoughts
Wow! This book!! Another Mia Sheridan novel I couldn’t put down. Suspenseful, creepy, and complex as you would want from well-written thriller books.
Before all else, let me just say that Where The Truth Lives is part of a series. While you can technically read it as a standalone, I DO NOT recommend you do that!! You will cut your experiences short and do a disservice to both you and the awesomeness that are these novels!
This one (just like Where The Blame Lies) has so much more than the gripping suspense or the additional romance element. It touches you with the powerful emotions evoked in you by the characters and the connection they have.
In Where The Truth Lives we get to witness Liza and her pain, the chemistry and bond she has with Reed. Then there’s Reed with his own complicated liaisons. He goes through his own personal process of self-discovery and affirmation.
Josie and Zach from the previous one appear in this too and IT IS relevant. What is the connection they share with Reed or Liza? I am not going to tell you, but what I can say is that I cried. Yes, again! (eye roll). Though this time, what brings them all together is the light in this dark plot that will make you addicted to Mia Sheridan’s words.
Something fascinating happens in this second novel, involving two (or I could say three) characters. Again, I cannot tell you who, as I will spoil both stories for you. But know this: you’ll have conflicting emotions about someone for doing what they do.
The majority of the book, though, focuses on the horrendous crimes that take place in Cincinnati. The plot is well-thought-out, with twists and turns that will challenge your detective skills.
The characters are likable, and grow as the story progresses. As you get to know them better, they become like part of your family. You start rooting for them and even fear for their lives when some of them find themselves in risky situations.
To conclude, in both Mia Sheridan novels you’ll find strong, even though flawed characters, and a plot that will have you biting your nails and leave you mesmerized by her ingenious mind.
- Teaser
“He’s drunk, Mady whispered, voicing what Liza suspected, but didn’t want to let herself believe. Cold dread settled in her stomach, far colder than the frigid air of the house that their father didn’t allow them to heat when he was gone. Please just let him pass out on the couch or in his bed. Please. ‘Shh,’ Liza said, trying to soothe her younger sister, even while panic sluiced through her veins.”
Also read: 4 Reasons You Should Start Reading Romance Novels
More Thriller Books That Will Blow Your Mind
Find Her by Lisa Gardner
- Synopsis
There are three perspectives you have to follow: flashbacks of the past (when Flora Dane was being held captive), Flora’s current predicament, and the current investigations led by Detective D.D. Warren.
Seven years ago, carefree student Flora Dane was abducted from a Florida beach. 472 days she spent with her captor, a serial rapist and kidnapper by the name of Jacob Ness. Locked in a wooden box, sexually abused, starved, psychologically tortured.
She survived, but what returned home wasn’t the same Flora Dane.
She became obsessed with self-defense and tracking and saving other missing persons. This is where we find Flora in “the present”.
Amid the disappearance of another college student whose case has grown cold, Flora can’t just wait and do nothing. So she starts hunting.
Her reckless actions make her the object of D.D. Warren’s investigation. But what happens when she’s kidnapped again? And this time, the kidnapper doesn’t plan on letting her get away.
Not much of a fan of Flora’s vigilante ways, D.D. must find this mysterious perpetrator and save Flora. Again!
- My Thoughts
Lisa Gardner is an expert when it comes to thriller books! I think this was my first read of hers, and it’s the one that stands out. While it is the eighth book in the D.D. Warren Series, it CAN be read as a standalone.
Sooo… I’m not going to lie, it was hard to read at times, given the unimaginable abuse Flora suffers. It is not overly descriptive for the sake of shock value. It’s just what it is supposed to be. Add to that the insight we get into Flora’s head during all this time and even after, and you should understand why this is not an easy read.
However, this shows what a masterful job Lisa did! Just know that with this one you’re pulled out of your comfort zone by a wide margin!
I think what makes this darker than the previous two I mentioned is the lack of the romantic aspect. When there’s romance involved, you at least have a distraction from all the darkness. Because what some characters from Mia Sheridan’s books go through is just as horrible in their own way, but at least you’ve got hope.
The fact that the flashbacks are told in the first person (while in Mia’s novels, she uses the third person) makes it more personal and intimate. Sometimes there’s irony or sarcasm in her tone (Flora’s tone) that alleviates the darkness just a little bit.
The psychological element is very strong in Find Her. We are let in on a victim’s perspective of her abuse and the aftermath of it. The author delves so deep into the mind of the victim and leaves you with no choice but to feel everything.
The plot is well-executed, and, as author Karin Slaughter said about Lisa,
Her fast-paced and exciting novels twist when you expect a turn and turn when you expect a twist.
Karin slaughter
As far as characters are concerned, Flora is one of a kind. To me, she outshines D.D., even if it’s her series. You can’t help but empathize with her and want to hold her and protect her. There are times, of course, when you feel like yelling at her to wake the F up. But that’s because you CARE.
The dynamic between Flora and D.D. is another interesting aspect. They are fun to watch. D.D. is definitely not a fan, yet she must do her best to save Flora. Their relationship evolves satisfyingly throughout the next books in the series.
- Teaser
“There’s not much to do day after day trapped in a coffin box. In fact, there’s really only one thing worth imagining, obsessing, contemplating minute by minute, hour after terrible hour. One thought that keeps you going. One focus that gives you strength. You’ll find it. You’ll hone it. Then, if you’re anything like me, you’ll never let it go. Revenge. But be careful what you wish for, especially if you’re just a stupid girl trapped in a coffin-sized box.“
The Torment Of Others by Val McDermid
- Synopsis
This is the fourth novel in the Tony Hill and Carol Jordan Series. While some readers recommend you read them in order to fully understand the relationship between DCI Carol Jordan and criminal psychologist Dr. Tony Hill, I read it first, before the other ones. I honestly had no problem with this. I don’t feel I missed something important, nor can I imagine I would have felt differently had I read them in order.
That being said, The Torment Of Others finds Carol Jordan trying to emotionally and physically recover and focus on work after a failed undercover operation that takes place at the end of book three.
The chief constable assigns Carol as head of a special crime unit. They have to investigate two cases: one of a second young boy who goes missing in Bradfield, the other one- a murder case.
A prostitute is found grotesquely murdered in a cheap motel room. Her body left in a parody of ecstasy. Too much blood drained out of her.
What’s creepier is that it’s the exact MO of a series of four murders that took place two years before. What’s even creepier is that the forensic evidence from those cases indisputably led to the conviction of Derek Tyler.
And Derek Tyler is still locked up in a secure mental institution.
Carol and her team, alongside Dr. Tony Hill, have to find this sadistic killer. We know from the beginning about a Voice that’s behind the killings. When Tony starts to suspect someone else is the mastermind of these perverse acts, Carol rejects his theory.
Will a dangerous undercover police operation trap the murderer? Does Tony know who the Voice is? And what happens with the missing boys?
- My Thoughts
First, I want to say that, as I’ve already mentioned above, I didn’t mind not having read the previous three thriller books in this series. As I see it, the main role they have is to build the dynamic between Carol and Tony.
To me, The Torment Of Others, as well as the first three, aren’t about their story. Not essentially. I didn’t start reading this for the characters. I did it for the suspenseful plot. As opposed to Mia Sheridan’s books, which I read for the suspense, but also for the romance. For the characters’ story.
Given the enough amount of romance in Mia’s novels, I see the relationship between the characters as an integrated part of the plot, without which the story wouldn’t be the same.
On the other hand, I see Carol and Tony’s relationship as an addition to the plot, without which the story wouldn’t much change.
Now, please don’t think the characters in Val’s novel aren’t great. They are well-written and complex. You can relate to their struggles and end up caring about them.
I actually read the next one in the series, Beneath The Bleeding, just because I wanted to know what happens with a certain character in this book.
I like that McDermid takes the time to characterize them, outlining their flaws and strengths. This way, the reader gets to know them well and to sort of pick a favorite.
What stands out the most to me in this novel is the atmosphere. What is the atmosphere? It’s the way that book feels. Like a space or a place. It comes with a specific feeling.
A few years after reading this novel for the first time and I can still remember the feeling I had while doing it. For this, I am impressed. It requires some skills, no joke!
She uses the right descriptions and tone to make you a part of her captivating and complex plot. The suspense is addictive. What happened to the missing boys, and who took them? Who’s killing the prostitutes? Is there someone else telling them to kill? And if so, who?
Like Find Her by Lisa Gardner, this has a strong psychological element. But this time it is the insightful look into the KILLER‘s mind, not the victim’s, that creates the psychological tension. Written with italic letters, his point of view is in the third person.
- Teaser
“Just because you hear voices, it doesn’t mean you’re mad. You don’t have to be well smart to know that. And even though you did all that stuff that made the jury look sick to their stomachs, at least you’re clever enough to know that doesn’t make you a nutter. All sorts of people have other voices in their heads, everybody knows that.”
Stone Cold Heart by Laura Griffin
- Synopsis
Sara Lockhart is one of the best at what she does. She’s one of the nation’s top forensic anthropologists.
So when two local climbers find what appears to be human remains abandoned in White Falls Park, Texas, she’s the first person police detective Nolan Hess calls to ask for help.
What Sara finds at the crime scene is a body in a state of advanced decomposition and evidence that is partially buried.
Detective Nolan Hess believes there’s a high chance this could be the body of a teenage climber who went missing during the previous summer. The pressure on that missing case is high, and he’s desperate to make sure the parents’ victim get some closure.
But if this isn’t Kaylin, he has two potential murder victims in his jurisdiction.
Sara’s instinct tells her they are looking for more than just one body. Meanwhile, another young woman goes missing. Putting together all the clues they have gathered so far, her suspicion is proven correct when more human remains are discovered further along the gorge the first victim was found in.
What’s more, these cases start to look a little too much like a chilling case from her past.
Sara and Nolan team up to find this cold-hearted killer and save the missing woman. That is, if it’s not too late or if they don’t get hurt in the process.
- My Thoughts
Stone Cold Heart is the 13th book in the Tracers Series, and can totally be read as a STANDALONE. You don’t have to worry about not reading the previous ones. It will NOT impede your understanding at all.
The main characters are relatively new (I think only Sara appears briefly in the book before or something). The case hasn’t been discussed before. Only some side characters who appear regularly in the Tracers series are also mentioned here.
Laura Griffin writes thriller books with a touch of romance in them. I’d say this is the typical romantic suspense novel fans of the genre love to read.
The plot is really intriguing and definitely keeps you guessing, curious and anticipating. Not only do we have the creepy discoveries of the human remains, but we also have a mysterious person posting videos of the discoveries as they were being dug up.
Then there’s also the missing young woman. As with the previous books, this one also reveals the victim’s point of view (in the third person), though not as elaborate as the others. But we still feel the desperation and fear for her life.
I couldn’t guess who the serial killer was. I’m curious if someone can figure out who it is before being revealed.
One thing this book has that the others don’t is the focus on forensics. It is clear the author did her research thoroughly. I like that. I feel I learned something new.
Also, Stone Cold Heart has to be the least dark of them. It is definitely easier to read than the rest. It doesn’t have on-page rape, descriptive abuse, or other particular triggers. The predominant aspects of this novel are the suspense and the romance.
Now, let’s talk about the characters and the romance. I find both the hero and the heroine likable. They certainly have chemistry. Sara is dealing with some insecurities as far as men are concerned. Nolan is the sweet and understanding one.
I find the decisions they made about their relationship to be real and believable. No unnecessary drama. No cheesiness.
Keep in mind, though, that the romance isn’t the main focus.
- Teaser
“They turned into an alley, and Grace glanced around, startled. ‘Um, the hotel’s on Brazos Street?‘ ‘Shortcut.’ His eyes met hers in the rearview mirror, and Grace’s skin went cold. She pulled out a twenty-dollar bill. ‘Actually, just drop me off here, thanks.’ He turned into an even darker alley beside a parking garage. Grace’s throat went dry as he rolled to a stop. She lunged for the door, but it wouldn’t open. Her heart hiccuped as he turned in his seat and reached back.”
Thriller Books
If I had to recommend each novel for only two things, it would be like this:
- Where The Blame Lies and Where The Truth Lives by Mia Sheridan – for the characters and the many emotions Mia makes you experience (suspense, fear, joy, sadness, love, admiration and many more)
- Find Her by Lisa Gardner – for the character (Flora Dane) and the psychological element
- The Torment Of Others by Val McDermid – for the atmosphere of the book and the psychological element
- Stone Cold Heart by Laura Griffin – for the attention to forensics and the suspense.
Thriller novels and movies are my best. I will definitely check them out.
Pumped to read these now! thanks for the overviews
I am always looking for books to enjoy