Hey, it’s Diego.

Following its TV debut, I read All Her Fault by Andrea Mara this week.

And I cried like a baby.

So I thought I’d list all the thrillers that made me tear up.

Let’s go.

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Thrillers That Made Me Cry

Found by Erin Kinsley

Found by Erin Kinsley: When 11-year-old Evan vanishes at his bus stop, his parents are plunged into their worst nightmare. Especially as the police, under massive pressure, have no answers.

But months later, Evan is unexpectedly found, frightened and refusing to speak. His loving family realizes life will never be the same again. DI Naylor knows that unless those who took Evan are caught, other children are in danger.

This one was a tough read as I felt the impotence the parents were in.

Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica

Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica takes us to a peaceful suburb near Chicago, where the disappearance of a woman sends shockwaves through the tight-knit community.

Not long after, another local woman and her young daughter vanish without a trace. The town is thrown into chaos, and neighbors start to wonder if these cases are connected.

I’ve said it before, but as a parent, the first chapter of this book broke me.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth tells the story of three foster sisters—Jessica, Norah, and Alicia—who have to confront their traumatic past with the authorities when human remains are discovered beneath their former foster home.

These foster sisters’ childhoods could have been worse, but oh my, I was teary-eyed reading through this one.

And the newest addition to the list:

All Her Fault by Andrea Mara (A Review)

When Marissa goes to collect her five-year-old son, Milo, from a playdate, she is stunned to find there was no playdate, and her son has vanished.

All Her Fault by Andrea Mara is a domestic thriller set in a Dublin suburb.

Mara’s writing is incredible. Dialogue was on point, it flowed naturally, and descriptions were enough to put you in the place without overdoing it. It starts fast. The very first paragraph begins with Marissa at the door to pick up Milo from the playdate, only to realise her son is missing. It was an easy read.

We follow four women: Marissa, the mom; Jenny, the mom Milo should have been at the playdate with; Carrie, Jenny’s babysitter; and Carrie’s mom. The story is mostly told in a single timeline, but it does have flashback chapters.

Except for one of the POV characters, who doesn’t add anything to the plot (they could be removed and the story would have stayed the same), all three other women are proactive characters who move the plot along.

The story sags a little right after Milo disappears, but things pick up again towards the middle, and the pace ramps up all the way towards the end. I liked that there were thrills throughout.

If I had to pick on something I didn’t quite like with this book, it’s the same thing that I’ve raised in multiple books lately, which is that towards the 80-90% mark, there is a series of rapid-fire twists that left me confused and thinking that some of the things that happened made no sense.

There is no romance, there is swearing, and there are no scenes of graphic violence, but the aftermath of graphic violence is described.

So, what about the ending? (No spoilers, obviously)

The ending, although it asks you to suspend your disbelief, wraps everything up. The denouement is lengthy, and we get a picture of what happens to all the characters.

I’m debating whether All Her Fault by Andrea Mara is my third or fourth best read of the year. I think it lost some points to some shaky twists towards the end, but it was still a great read. Do recommend.

This Week’s Update

• You can watch the mini-series All Her Fault instead of reading the book on Peacock. I may watch it at some point to compare.

• The latest entry in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out series, “Wake Up Dead Man”, premiered in theaters this week and will be coming to Netflix next month. It’s one of the few murder mystery series I never miss.

That’s all for this week. See you next time.

— Diego Dunne

P.S. Let me know how I did today by replying to this email.

P.P.S. I would love to hear your recommendations for thrillers you loved. Reply to this email, and I’ll add them to my TBR list. Thanks!