My Top 5 Thrillers of the Year (so far)

Hey, it’s Diego.

Summer is already here, and I know many are looking for their next read.

So, I’ve compiled a list of my top 5 reads this year to inspire you.

Let’s dive in.

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The Best “Trapped at Home” Thriller

The threat in these kinds of domestic thrillers comes from inside the family. Psychopathic spouses, children, or in-laws keep the protagonist trapped in their own home and force them to play games while trying to alert anyone that will listen.

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris takes the cake on this one. It’s intense, claustrophobic, and nicely hits all the tropes of this subgenre.

The Best “Enhanced Elements” Thriller

These psychological thrillers incorporate various elements, such as interviews, podcast excerpts, and newscasts, into the narrative, offering different perspectives while enhancing the production value.

None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell is a great example of this, and as such, you can enjoy this title read or listened as an audiobook.

The Best “Town Secrets” Thriller

Something terrible has happened to someone close to our protagonists, and as they investigate, terrible secrets are uncovered, and suddenly, anyone could be the culprit.

The Quarry Girls by Jess Lourey has been my favorite read of the year so far. The oppressive atmosphere of a girl trying to figure out what happened to her best friend in a small Minnesota town hits all the marks of this subgenre.

The Best “How Do All These Pieces Fit Together” Thriller

It’s a psychological thriller, and all we know is that we are discovering things as the protagonist is, but we can’t see the big picture just yet. Every discovery is a new twist, casting what we thought we knew in a different light.

The Good Lie by A.R. Torre is a great read and will keep you guessing until the last page.

The Best “From The Point of View of The Psychopath” Thriller

In these types of psychological thrillers, we follow the psychopaths as they lie, manipulate, and murder others. What makes them interesting is how we get to see their compulsions, but also how smart they can be.

We Play Games by Sarah A. Denzil is a perfect window into these kinds of thrillers. In it, we follow a manipulative couple who scam others for the thrill of control, even as their own relationship unravels amid the chaos they create.

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.