Recent Reads: Thrillers

I Found You by Lisa Jewell (out now)

Thanks to the dominance of the psychological thriller in the book market over the last two years, I have been reading a lot of mysteries lately. And recently, they’ve all started to blur into one and I have been getting tired of them. Enter this book. I Found You renewed my love for the genre and showed me that Lisa Jewell is one to read.

Right from the start I was hooked on this one. I really liked how the book went between different people and their parts of the story. Then when the book picked up in the past in the second part, I really didn’t want to put it down. I spent the majority of the book playing detective, trying to piece it all together before the book did it for me, which I absolutely enjoyed in this one. Jewell gives you just enough in each chapter to move the story line along and keep you absolutely hooked, wanting to know what happens next.

The Child by Fiona Barton (release date: June 27)

The Widow was a wonderful surprise, the first thriller I read after Girl on the Train and really what propelled me into reading a lot of this genre over the last year. And I will say that as much as I liked The Widow, I enjoyed The Child much more. Right from the start I was invested in the story and the characters. It was nice to see the reporter from the first book back, I enjoy when a series keeps the same character but doesn’t depend on the previous books to move the story forward. I remember reading an interview with Barton during the press for The Widow in which she talked about being interested in the people on the periphery of crimes when she was a reporter and how she worked that into the novel. It’s very obvious again in this book of that interest and there is a great sensitivity there which makes for a very-well rounded story.

This isn’t a “waiting right to the last page for the resolution” mystery but there are definitely enough twists and turns to keep you hooked and asking questions. Even if you do figure it all out partway through, the story is so well written that you remain invested in the rest of the book.

The Breakdown by B.A Paris (release date: July 18)

I absolutely loved Behind Closed Doors and couldn’t stop raving about it. Everyone I recommended it to came back to me raving just as much about it. It had me up well into the night needing to know what happened and books rarely keep me up late. I had been wondering just how B.A. Paris would follow it up and if it would be as amazing as the first book. Well, I musty say, it certainly was. When it comes to The Breakdown, there is no such thing as the sophomore slump.

Well written and perfectly paced, this book took me on another ride and again kept me reading late when I should have been asleep. I was hooked from the first page to the last. Lately, I have been reading mystery books and figuring things out way too early but not with this one. I was left guessing right until the page before it all came out. That is an amazing feat to be able to pull off. I was invested in every character, even if I was suspicious of them. I can’t wait until this book is on the shelves so I can start recommending it to people.