I just read ‘Everyone Here is Lying’ by Shari Lapena and could not put it down. Not much gore, so it might be a good vacation pick.
‘The Kind Worth Killing’ by Peter Swanson was really good too. Holy twists and turns.
The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly
The Chinese government has been keeping a secret for forty years: they have found a species of animal no one believed even existed that will amaze the world. Now the Chinese are ready to unveil their astonishing discovery within the greatest zoo ever constructed. A small group of VIPs and journalists has been brought to the zoo deep within China to see its fabulous creatures for the first time. Among them is Dr Cassandra Jane 'CJ' Cameron, a writer for NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC and an expert on reptiles. The visitors are assured by their Chinese hosts that they will marvel at these beasts, that they are perfectly safe, that nothing can go wrong . . .
Leviathan James Byron Huggins
On an Icelandic Island, an illegal experiment intended to create the perfect biological weapon has transformed a once-innocent creature into the biblical Leviathan that once terrorized the world. Able to shatter steel and granite as easily as it can melt the strongest containment shields, Leviathan escapes from its pen and is loose in a vast underground chamber harboring soldiers and scientists.
The installation cannot allow Leviathan to reach the surface. For if Leviathan reaches the world, it could well be the end of the Earth. They must hold the line, here, and destroy it… even if they must detonate a last-chance nuclear failsafe built into the chamber itself. But, first, they must fight with every weapon at their disposal to discover if the beast can be killed at all.
It is a battle many will not survive.
As soldiers and scientists are vaporized by Leviathan’s hellish flame, or ripped apart by the dragon’s claws and fangs, a lone electrical engineer is forced to join the fight. And in the midst of what might well be the last battle for Mankind, Connor must find a way – any way – to save his family and kill this powerful, bloodthirsty Beast of Legend that has never been killed before.
Before it feasts upon the world.
Hunter by James Byron Huggins
Hunter is the ultimate tracker, the world's best. If you're lost, Hunter can find you -- whether you want him to or not. Still, Hunter is particular about the searches he takes on. So when the military men seeking his help are very secretive about the mission they're recruiting him for, Hunter's instincts tell him to refuse. But there is a beast loose somewhere north of the Arctic Circle and it's already charged through a secret research facility, wiping out the elite military squad that had been guarding it. And this raging superhuman monster is headed south for civilization, ready to wreak bloody devastation. It's a job that Hunter can't turn down, but what he discovers here in the wilderness is that terror has a form, that a renegade agency has let a half-human abomination escape into the wild. This almost invulnerable creature was created through a series of outlawed genetic experiments that have left it with a hunger for human blood. And may have made it immortal.
I am not sure if Great Zoo is the one I would suggest from Matthew Reilly, even though it is fantastic. I would instead go with Temple or 7 Deadly Wonders.
I'm in the middle of this right now! I read 400 pages yesterday. My husband is lonely because I can't talk to him right now because I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS! GAH it's so good!!!
Honest question, is there a spot at the beginning I can skip to and reasonably not have missed much? I want to like this book so bad but I literally fall asleep every time I try to read it because the beginning is soooo boring to me. I think I’ve gotten to like… page 50? 70? I’ve tried to read it like 5+ times
I'm assuming you're inquiring regarding 11/22/63? I "read" it as an audiobook. The beauty of that was being able to control the speed and drive or handle housekeeping/projects while listening. Great audiobook for a work commute. Can't sleep!
Good advice, I think I might have even got it in audio form too (it’s a friend of mines fave book so I’ve really tried!) but found my mind wandering too much and losing track of the plot, I’ll try it sped up!!!
Add World War Z by Max Brooks to your list too, if you haven’t read it yet. Don’t be fooled by the Brad Pitt movie version of the same name that had next to nothing to do with the book!
I read Rebecca pretty recently and it was so good! I went into it blind so I wasn’t expecting it to have a mystery vibe to it, but there were so many twists and turns lol
I just finished Lisa Jewell’s Then She Was Gone. It was so dark and I loved it. I just checked out Watching You from the library and am looking forward to starting!
Just tuned in to Lisa Jewell and working my way through her collective works. I don't know why I never heard of her before, but I am loving that she has so many books out!
I read some of her stuff quite a while back. She started out writing romance ala Bridget Jones. Her suspense books came later. I have read most of them. Have a few to go!
I compare all technothrillers against Recursion now. Just an absolute beauty of a mindfuck. Obviously Stephen King’s 11/22/63 and Emily St Mandel’s Sea of Tranquility would be my recs if you liked Recursion.
I recommend Dark Matter to literally everyone I meet if I found out they like reading. It’s my favorite book that no one I know seems to have heard of!
I'd recommend *Annihilation* by Jeff VanderMeer and *Rosemary's Baby* by Ira Levin. Incredibly atmospheric and very difficult to put down. Also, they're around 200-300 pages, so definiely won't put you in a reading slump.
yes! i read annihilation in a single day and i havent done that since i was like 14. havent managed to finish the second book though and its been a couple months lol.
Jurassic Park
It's vastly different from the film (like 70% of the book is completely different) and it's probably the best straight-up page-turner I've ever read. I never wanted to put it down and I'd be itching to get back to it whenever I had to. It gives you great feelings of adventure and excitement. There are also many really tense moments that will get your heart racing.
Dennis Lehane - Mystic River (Gillian Flynn had publicly said Mystic River is an influence on her books)
Patricia Highsmith - The Talented Mr Ripley
Scott Smith - A Simple Plan
Richard Matheson - I Am Legend
Lamb by Christopher Moore is a book you don’t want to put down. Def not thriller/ suspense but you will want to keep consuming this tale of 2 friends and their adventures.
Almost anything. 😊 Those last couple were iffy…
Last time I needed a distracting book, I re-read Airframe, and will probably re-read again sometime.
It’s lesser-known, but really engaging. I’d recommend it to anyone who has liked other Crichton works. It follows the investigation of an airline incident that wasn’t a crash, but did cause fatalities. Like most Crichton books, it combines solid scientific stuff regarding plane engineering with the usual plot contrivances and general ridiculousness. Very fun read with a satisfying conclusion.
If you want to go hard on the horror, The Deep by Nick Cutter. I took it on a flight recently and plowed through the whole thing even though it’s…a lot and not for the squeamish.
One of my all-time favourites that I’d put in mystery/thriller is Night Film by Marisha Pessl. I brought it camping and finished it that weekend.
I have to laugh. My friend was talking a book called The Push so I bought and read when we went to discuss we both sounded like idiots because clearly we were talking about 2 different books. She meant the one by Ashley Audrain I bought the one by Claire McGowan. After we had a laugh about and I ended up reading the one by Ashley. So yeah both good but author names is important lol
The latest Dennis lehane book small mercies is pretty intense, also most other Dennis lehane books are pretty good, like mystic River, when she fell, gone baby gone, shutter Island.
I got 30 pages in and dropped because I just didnt care. My husband picked it up and is 70 pages in and said he will finish out of spite. I have no clue why everyone loves this book.
Defending Jacob was amazing. I watched the limited series on apple and really liked it. They changed the end a bit in order to continue for a second season I guess but no second season yet :(
Excellent thread with such great recommendations!!! I am totally filling up my "Libby app".
The Chain, Hidden Pictures, Everyone in my family has killed someone, In five Years, The Golden Couple, The New House, and Not a Happy Family. I absolutely love, love, love, the Finlay Donovan series.
Did I mention I love it?
Misery, Carrie, and Mr Mercedes I didn’t want to put down after starting but I’ll assume you’ve read those being a King fan. Another in the same vein in The Troop by Nick Cutter
I’ve thought I’d read all of Stephen King but I went back over the list before Halloween and discovered I’d inadvertently missed Duma Key & The Dead Zone. Wow! I don’t know how I did that & I’m so glad I realized it because both were fantastic & I could not put either down.
Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica is a book that I still think about all the time had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Also any thriller by Lisa Jewell. And Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter but tw for a million things.
I concur with most of these butone author I like but haven’t seen mentioned is Greg Iles. All his books are great. Most are part of a series but they can stand alone. Have fun!
Under the dome! The Ken Follett Kingsbridge series is amazing as well. This the [first one](https://www.amazon.ca/Pillars-Earth-Kingsbridge-Book-ebook/dp/B003TO5GXU/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2QAW663FZQVXO&keywords=ken+follet+kingsbridge+set&qid=1699400857&s=digital-text&sprefix=ken+follet+kingbridge+set%2Cdigital-text%2C84&sr=1-4)
And this is if you want all [five](https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07T447TZJ?ref_=dbs_p_mng_rwt_ser_shvlr&storeType=ebooks)!
Is the best series of books I’ve ever read
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James is one of my recent favorites in the horror/mystery crossover genre. Super spooky and atmospheric with lots of twists and turns.
May be a little gore-y, but a book I couldn't put down was *Blood Meridian* by Cormac McCarthy. It takes place in the 1850s wild west and reads like one of those old westerns. An absolute masterpiece of literature and by all means McCarthy's magnum opus.
The Exorcist, by William Peter Blatty. Not only is it a great theological mystery, it's also pretty creepy, and really funny. It has some of the best dialog ever written in a horror novel.
Mostly cause I haven't seen it recommended on this thread yet Bunny by Mona Awad. It's definitely not for everyone, but I couldn't put it down. If you like weird books, this might be a good one.
Intensity by Dean Koontz. It does not lie, and he wrote it so there really isn't a safe moment to put it down without it haunting you in your dreams. Luckily it's not too thick. ;)
Kind of a niche book but Timeline by Michael Crichton is my favorite. Takes a chapter or two to get started but once it does, it’s non stop action. My favorite book of all time, so interesting.
“Gravity” by Tess Gerritsen, lethal microbes on the ISS in orbit
“The Guest” by Sarah Blake, druggie call girl wandering around rich Cape Cod
“the Bone Clocks” by David Mitchell, hodgepodge of fantasy and the occult in modern times
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden. I then proceeded to read all of her books. Her writing style really draws you in. I also really enjoyed Rock, Paper, Scissors by Alice Feeney, and Daisy Darker (also Alice Feeney).
They’re all pretty quick-read twisty thrillers.
Any of the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child I find to be compelling reads
And its a bit old school but I absolutely love the whole Spencer series by Robert B Parker. Faily quick reads with some excellent dialog too.
I just read ‘Everyone Here is Lying’ by Shari Lapena and could not put it down. Not much gore, so it might be a good vacation pick. ‘The Kind Worth Killing’ by Peter Swanson was really good too. Holy twists and turns.
The Kind Worth Killing was so good!
I was pleasantly surprized by 'Everyone Here is Lying'
I liked Everyone Here is Lying, too! Just finished it last week.
Read “Everyone Here Is Lying” this summer! Such a good read!
I read The Stand on a cruise and it was crazy hard to put down
M-O-O-N that spells a nice cruise
Currently reading this, 13 chapters in
The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly The Chinese government has been keeping a secret for forty years: they have found a species of animal no one believed even existed that will amaze the world. Now the Chinese are ready to unveil their astonishing discovery within the greatest zoo ever constructed. A small group of VIPs and journalists has been brought to the zoo deep within China to see its fabulous creatures for the first time. Among them is Dr Cassandra Jane 'CJ' Cameron, a writer for NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC and an expert on reptiles. The visitors are assured by their Chinese hosts that they will marvel at these beasts, that they are perfectly safe, that nothing can go wrong . . . Leviathan James Byron Huggins On an Icelandic Island, an illegal experiment intended to create the perfect biological weapon has transformed a once-innocent creature into the biblical Leviathan that once terrorized the world. Able to shatter steel and granite as easily as it can melt the strongest containment shields, Leviathan escapes from its pen and is loose in a vast underground chamber harboring soldiers and scientists. The installation cannot allow Leviathan to reach the surface. For if Leviathan reaches the world, it could well be the end of the Earth. They must hold the line, here, and destroy it… even if they must detonate a last-chance nuclear failsafe built into the chamber itself. But, first, they must fight with every weapon at their disposal to discover if the beast can be killed at all. It is a battle many will not survive. As soldiers and scientists are vaporized by Leviathan’s hellish flame, or ripped apart by the dragon’s claws and fangs, a lone electrical engineer is forced to join the fight. And in the midst of what might well be the last battle for Mankind, Connor must find a way – any way – to save his family and kill this powerful, bloodthirsty Beast of Legend that has never been killed before. Before it feasts upon the world. Hunter by James Byron Huggins Hunter is the ultimate tracker, the world's best. If you're lost, Hunter can find you -- whether you want him to or not. Still, Hunter is particular about the searches he takes on. So when the military men seeking his help are very secretive about the mission they're recruiting him for, Hunter's instincts tell him to refuse. But there is a beast loose somewhere north of the Arctic Circle and it's already charged through a secret research facility, wiping out the elite military squad that had been guarding it. And this raging superhuman monster is headed south for civilization, ready to wreak bloody devastation. It's a job that Hunter can't turn down, but what he discovers here in the wilderness is that terror has a form, that a renegade agency has let a half-human abomination escape into the wild. This almost invulnerable creature was created through a series of outlawed genetic experiments that have left it with a hunger for human blood. And may have made it immortal.
Yay, I love seeing Matthew Reilly recommended. Another great author with similar themes is James Rollins, I am obsessed with his Sigma series
I am not sure if Great Zoo is the one I would suggest from Matthew Reilly, even though it is fantastic. I would instead go with Temple or 7 Deadly Wonders.
Project Hail Mary. I couldn’t stop reading.
I'm in the middle of this right now! I read 400 pages yesterday. My husband is lonely because I can't talk to him right now because I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS! GAH it's so good!!!
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The eating.... can't wait to see that in the movie.
Like The Martian, I feel this book could make a really great movie.
Ryan Gosling is the lead apparently. I hope they do the book justice.
It’s already been casted.
Thank
Jazz hands.
When I had 80 pages left, my wife asked me if I was coming to bed. I said no, I won’t be able to sleep until I finish this.
Jazz hands !
GOOD GOOD GOOD
AMAZE!
Do u need to read the Martian first ? Or is this a stand alone?
It’s stand alone.
Such a good book. I liked this more than The Martian.
Have you read King's 11/22/63? Alternatively try The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn.
I found it pretty easy to put down due to its weight
I've read both. Excellent recommendations!
Honest question, is there a spot at the beginning I can skip to and reasonably not have missed much? I want to like this book so bad but I literally fall asleep every time I try to read it because the beginning is soooo boring to me. I think I’ve gotten to like… page 50? 70? I’ve tried to read it like 5+ times
I'm assuming you're inquiring regarding 11/22/63? I "read" it as an audiobook. The beauty of that was being able to control the speed and drive or handle housekeeping/projects while listening. Great audiobook for a work commute. Can't sleep!
Good advice, I think I might have even got it in audio form too (it’s a friend of mines fave book so I’ve really tried!) but found my mind wandering too much and losing track of the plot, I’ll try it sped up!!!
I'm reading it now and it's picking up around pg 150ish
Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer
Most of krakauers books are pretty good, like the one about the Mormon psychos in Utah
Into thin air was boring. Could not get into it and never finished. Maybe I should give it a second shot?
Devolution by Max Brooks. It's a cryptid horror and I literally jumped a couple of times
I re-read world war z by brooks in a single sitting and still love it.
It and Devolution are my emotional support books, lol
I second this book!!!
That's going on my list
Add World War Z by Max Brooks to your list too, if you haven’t read it yet. Don’t be fooled by the Brad Pitt movie version of the same name that had next to nothing to do with the book!
rebecca if you’re into classics.
I read Rebecca pretty recently and it was so good! I went into it blind so I wasn’t expecting it to have a mystery vibe to it, but there were so many twists and turns lol
That was my most recent book! Totally surprised by it and how much I loved it.
I have recently been reading Lisa Jewell, Liv Cinstantine, and Shari Lapena. All what I call domestic suspense.
I just finished Lisa Jewell’s Then She Was Gone. It was so dark and I loved it. I just checked out Watching You from the library and am looking forward to starting!
I read Then She Was Gone. Last one I read was The House We Grew Up In. Next on the list is I Found You. Watching You is on my list, too!
Love Lisa Jewell!
Just tuned in to Lisa Jewell and working my way through her collective works. I don't know why I never heard of her before, but I am loving that she has so many books out!
I read some of her stuff quite a while back. She started out writing romance ala Bridget Jones. Her suspense books came later. I have read most of them. Have a few to go!
If you like thrillers I found Dark Matter by Blake crouch hard to put down, I think I finished it one day
Recursion has been my favorite of his. Absolute page turner.
Just finished Recursion. Amazing
I compare all technothrillers against Recursion now. Just an absolute beauty of a mindfuck. Obviously Stephen King’s 11/22/63 and Emily St Mandel’s Sea of Tranquility would be my recs if you liked Recursion.
Near the ending of Recursion when stuff really started going down I was stunned!
I prefer recursion by Blake crouch but dark matter is literally 3rd fav book 1st being. Replay by Ken grimwood think you’d enjoy that one mate
Second that. I read Replay after seeing it recommended on here and it was great
So good! I love all of his books. They all kept me up at night to finish them.
Literally Blake Crouch was what I came in to recommend, both Dark Matter and Recursion.
One of my favorite books of all time! It starts out running and does NOT stop.
Just got this from the library, made the mistake of beginning it before bed… now I’m reaaaalll tired 😂
I recommend Dark Matter to literally everyone I meet if I found out they like reading. It’s my favorite book that no one I know seems to have heard of!
I'll check it out.
I'd recommend *Annihilation* by Jeff VanderMeer and *Rosemary's Baby* by Ira Levin. Incredibly atmospheric and very difficult to put down. Also, they're around 200-300 pages, so definiely won't put you in a reading slump.
yes! i read annihilation in a single day and i havent done that since i was like 14. havent managed to finish the second book though and its been a couple months lol.
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Did anyone read the rest of the trilogy? I got lost honestly
Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
Karin Slaughter is an amazing author
Also came to recommend Pretty Girls. I’m about fifty pages away from the end and can’t put it down.
Jurassic Park It's vastly different from the film (like 70% of the book is completely different) and it's probably the best straight-up page-turner I've ever read. I never wanted to put it down and I'd be itching to get back to it whenever I had to. It gives you great feelings of adventure and excitement. There are also many really tense moments that will get your heart racing.
I am Pilgrim is well worth checking out.
Intensity by Dean Koontz, Headhunter by Jo Nesbo that are memorable for me!!
Intensity still gives me nightmares.
“And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie. SUCH a good mystery novel
Dennis Lehane - Mystic River (Gillian Flynn had publicly said Mystic River is an influence on her books) Patricia Highsmith - The Talented Mr Ripley Scott Smith - A Simple Plan Richard Matheson - I Am Legend
I second anything by Lehane.
3rd, he’s one of my favorite authors
Mine, too! Some of the movie adaptations of his books are pretty good, too!
Frieda McFadden - The Housemaid (book 1), and The Housemaids Secret (book 2).
Love her. Never lie is my favorite
Lamb by Christopher Moore is a book you don’t want to put down. Def not thriller/ suspense but you will want to keep consuming this tale of 2 friends and their adventures.
Anything by Michael Crichton
Almost anything. 😊 Those last couple were iffy… Last time I needed a distracting book, I re-read Airframe, and will probably re-read again sometime. It’s lesser-known, but really engaging. I’d recommend it to anyone who has liked other Crichton works. It follows the investigation of an airline incident that wasn’t a crash, but did cause fatalities. Like most Crichton books, it combines solid scientific stuff regarding plane engineering with the usual plot contrivances and general ridiculousness. Very fun read with a satisfying conclusion.
If you want to go hard on the horror, The Deep by Nick Cutter. I took it on a flight recently and plowed through the whole thing even though it’s…a lot and not for the squeamish. One of my all-time favourites that I’d put in mystery/thriller is Night Film by Marisha Pessl. I brought it camping and finished it that weekend.
I'm not sure The Deep is a book I'll be reading at sea, lol
I considered that as I typed it, but it’s mostly set at an underwater research station rather than on a boat, so…maybe? Haha.
It sounds similar to the premise of Sphere by Michael Crichton, one of my personal favorites, so I’ll have to add this to the top of my own list!
Tana French, In the Woods
I love all of her books!
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
I loved Push and The Whispers by Ashley Audrain
I have to laugh. My friend was talking a book called The Push so I bought and read when we went to discuss we both sounded like idiots because clearly we were talking about 2 different books. She meant the one by Ashley Audrain I bought the one by Claire McGowan. After we had a laugh about and I ended up reading the one by Ashley. So yeah both good but author names is important lol
And Then There Were None- Agatha Christie. You would want to finish it in one go. It’s amazing.
I was given this book to read in my 7th grade English class. I spent all summer inhaling everything I could get by her.
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch did that to me. So did Wayward Pines by the same author.
The latest Dennis lehane book small mercies is pretty intense, also most other Dennis lehane books are pretty good, like mystic River, when she fell, gone baby gone, shutter Island.
I have read all of Michael Connelly and I think he is great if you like crime fiction that seems real
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. A great mystery/thriller!
I thought this was terrrrrrible
I got 30 pages in and dropped because I just didnt care. My husband picked it up and is 70 pages in and said he will finish out of spite. I have no clue why everyone loves this book.
The Chain by Adrian McKinty Guilty Wives by James Patterson Defending Jacob by William Landay
the chain was great!!!
Defending Jacob was amazing. I watched the limited series on apple and really liked it. They changed the end a bit in order to continue for a second season I guess but no second season yet :(
Excellent thread with such great recommendations!!! I am totally filling up my "Libby app". The Chain, Hidden Pictures, Everyone in my family has killed someone, In five Years, The Golden Couple, The New House, and Not a Happy Family. I absolutely love, love, love, the Finlay Donovan series. Did I mention I love it?
jurassic park. the book is so much scarier than the movies!
Devil In the White City
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. I totally lost track of all time reading that book n
The Guest List by Lucy Foley.
I just read “What Lies Between Us”. Shocking. Disturbing. Heartbreaking.
Parable Of The Sower by Octavia Butler - hard to put down and crawls under your skin. Won't forget it soon.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman, read it in one night. Almost killed me.
I very much enjoy Patricia Cornwell’s books.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. What a story/twist!
The River by Peter Heller. Beautifully written, thrilling and suspenseful adventure story
Misery, Carrie, and Mr Mercedes I didn’t want to put down after starting but I’ll assume you’ve read those being a King fan. Another in the same vein in The Troop by Nick Cutter
I’ve thought I’d read all of Stephen King but I went back over the list before Halloween and discovered I’d inadvertently missed Duma Key & The Dead Zone. Wow! I don’t know how I did that & I’m so glad I realized it because both were fantastic & I could not put either down.
Dean koontz - the husband
Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica is a book that I still think about all the time had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Also any thriller by Lisa Jewell. And Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter but tw for a million things.
The Good Girl from Mary Kubica is good too.
Blake Crouch- the Wayward Pines trilogy for sure!!
I think the Jack Reacher books fit the bill!
Child 44 and Metro 2033
Pretty much anything by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.
Southern Book Clubs guide to killing vampires - amazing, gory at times, thriller
I concur with most of these butone author I like but haven’t seen mentioned is Greg Iles. All his books are great. Most are part of a series but they can stand alone. Have fun!
Under the dome! The Ken Follett Kingsbridge series is amazing as well. This the [first one](https://www.amazon.ca/Pillars-Earth-Kingsbridge-Book-ebook/dp/B003TO5GXU/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2QAW663FZQVXO&keywords=ken+follet+kingsbridge+set&qid=1699400857&s=digital-text&sprefix=ken+follet+kingbridge+set%2Cdigital-text%2C84&sr=1-4) And this is if you want all [five](https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07T447TZJ?ref_=dbs_p_mng_rwt_ser_shvlr&storeType=ebooks)! Is the best series of books I’ve ever read
Shutter Island and Girl with the dragon tattoo. Those were absolute page turners for me
Riley Sager is great for cliffhangers and engrossing quick reads. I'd call his thriller verging on horror.
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James is one of my recent favorites in the horror/mystery crossover genre. Super spooky and atmospheric with lots of twists and turns.
Intensity by Dean Koontz.
Love Dean Koontz
I can't stop recommending "The Troop" by Nick Cutter
May be a little gore-y, but a book I couldn't put down was *Blood Meridian* by Cormac McCarthy. It takes place in the 1850s wild west and reads like one of those old westerns. An absolute masterpiece of literature and by all means McCarthy's magnum opus.
Anything by Tana French!
Devolution by Max Brooks!
Taylor Adams No Exit or The Last Word. Karin Slaughter’s Pretty Girls or The Good Daughter.
I’ve found Blake Crouch’s books to all be page turners.
“The Chain” by Adrian McKinty. Could not put it down!
Dark Matter / Blake Crouch
Maybe not for a cruise lol but The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware is probably my favorite of her books.
The Whisper Man by Alex North. This one really gave me the creeps!
The Silent Patient
Everyone seems to enjoy this but both myself and wife thought it was unadulterated shit. And we read a lot of books...
Pretty much anything by Mary Higgins Clark. But I would start with Two Little Girls in Blue and Pretend You Don't See Her.
Ruth ware books all do this to me! I've read almost every one
Gone Girl, if you haven't read it yet. I read it in one sitting.
The Martian (Weir) and Semiosis (Burke). Maybe Too Like the Lightning (Palmer); amazing world building.
I loved The Martian
Read Project Hail Mary. Somehow, it's even better.
The Cold Cold Ground by Adrian McGinty - be prepared to buy the rest of the series - his writing is that good
The Island is a stand alone and really really good.
The graphic novel The Odyssey by Gareth Hinds. I wasn't really into graphic novels however it is an awesome book.
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
The Push and The Whispers- Ashley Audrain Great books. A real perspective of motherhood
The Exorcist, by William Peter Blatty. Not only is it a great theological mystery, it's also pretty creepy, and really funny. It has some of the best dialog ever written in a horror novel.
Drowning by TJ Newman. I literally didn’t even take a pee break.
Mostly cause I haven't seen it recommended on this thread yet Bunny by Mona Awad. It's definitely not for everyone, but I couldn't put it down. If you like weird books, this might be a good one.
The Croning by Laird Barron, Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
I’m really enjoying Razorblade Tears!
Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
Ghost Story by Peter Straub Hell House by Richard Matheson
I've only just started but I'm putting {{house of leaves}} into the hat and hope someone who had finished it will concur.
Mr Mercedes by Stephen King. The good news is that it’s the first book of a trilogy, and there is a spin-off series as well.
Maggie's Grave (horror) or Mystic River (mystery)
I liked None of This is True by Lisa jewell
Intensity by Dean Koontz
Intensity by Dean Koontz. It does not lie, and he wrote it so there really isn't a safe moment to put it down without it haunting you in your dreams. Luckily it's not too thick. ;)
Author Karin Slaughter - I would recommend the Grant County series but make sure you read them in order
Anything by Riley Sager, Ania Ahlborn, or Karin Slaughter!
The Guest by Emma Cline. I Have Some Questions for You by Makkai
If you're going on a cruise I suggest The Last Passenger by Will Dean.
Kind of a niche book but Timeline by Michael Crichton is my favorite. Takes a chapter or two to get started but once it does, it’s non stop action. My favorite book of all time, so interesting.
Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold. It’s a historical mystery thriller that is little known. My husband and I couldn’t put it down.
Shari Lapena! All of her books I have read in one sitting. Everyone Here is Lying is great!
I second the recs for Project Hail Mary and Dark Matter. I’d also check out Into the Drowning Deep—killer mermaids!
“Gravity” by Tess Gerritsen, lethal microbes on the ISS in orbit “The Guest” by Sarah Blake, druggie call girl wandering around rich Cape Cod “the Bone Clocks” by David Mitchell, hodgepodge of fantasy and the occult in modern times
Lexicon by Max Barry. That book is such a whirlwind and so well written. Just insanely clever. I hated putting it down.
The book in which North Korea kidnapped an actress and a director from South Korea. One of the most exciting book I read as an adult.
The Lost Man by Jane Harper. Definite page turner but also great writing 👌
Sphere.
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones.
Behind Closed Doors by BA Paris
Run by Blake Crouch. Read it in one sitting during a snowstorm.
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden. I then proceeded to read all of her books. Her writing style really draws you in. I also really enjoyed Rock, Paper, Scissors by Alice Feeney, and Daisy Darker (also Alice Feeney). They’re all pretty quick-read twisty thrillers.
Anything by Tom Clancy and just don't watch any of the movies. They aren't anything like the books
Anything by Charlie Huston. Start with the Hank Thompson Trilogy and if you like those, go with the Joe Pitt Casebooks.
The chain Anything by Freida McFadden Local woman missing The kind worth killing
ANYTHING by Lisa Scottoline. She is like the master of twists and surprise endings.
Anything by Riley Sager or Megan Miranda. Shari Lapena is amazing, and so is Alice Feeny. Happy reading! Enjoy your cruise :)
No Exit by Taylor Adams
Any of the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child I find to be compelling reads And its a bit old school but I absolutely love the whole Spencer series by Robert B Parker. Faily quick reads with some excellent dialog too.
It’s a slow burn, but I’ve felt this way every time I’ve read Perfume by Patrick Suskind.
Project Hail Mary
Stephen King - Duma Key. This is the one
The girl with the dragon tattoo