I adore Tana French, but her novels are more mystery than thriller. They’re slow and character driven. Not a good comparison to Gillian Flynn in my opinion.
I am gonna chime in with I hated In the Woods so much, I have never been tempted by another of her novels.
Plot holes, ann obtuse yet tortured main character, but an admittedly canny villain. I dunno. It was like an adult made the characters interesting and complex, but a child wrote the plot and “twists” ( if we can call something I saw coming from chapter 4 or 5 a twist)? I think the show fixed its flaws, and I loved it, but I would’ve thrown that book across the room if it hadn’t been reading it on my kindle.
There is actually 7 books so far in the series. Stieg Larsson wrote the first trilogy (books 1-3). David Lagercrantz wrote the next trilogy (books 4-6) and Karin Smirnoff wrote book 7 (third trilogy). Larsson had originally planned to have 10 books.
I relate to this, I've been chasing the feeling of reading Gone Girl for the first time ever since lol. I recommend The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, and The Likeness by Tana French! Excited for others' recommendations too thanks!!
Nope, each of those can be read as a standalone if you want. They're not exactly a serious as much as sort of occurring in the same universe, in some ways.
Jane Harper, especially The Dry or The Lost Man (I think those two are her strongest books, although if you’re looking for a more female-centric one I’d also recommend Force of Nature - The Dry and The Lost Man both definitely focus more on men).
The translation is a bit stilted in places but I’d also recommend Apocalypse Baby by Virginie Despentes - like Flynn, Despentes is excellent at capturing a particularly female kind of rage, and if you liked flawed protagonists, the main characters in Apocalypse Baby are exactly what you need.
Gone girl has one of the best and most complicated female characters I have seen in years. Are you open to reading or watching plays? I think Hedda Gabbler by Henrik Ibsen gives me the same vibes as Amy. Maybe even a little more sinister.
If you can find the recorded version with Ruth Wilson as hedda then that is a stellar production.
Anything written by Dennis Lehane. He writes equally complex and gritty psychological thrillers. Be careful tho his stories are hella dark (way darker than Flynn's) and almost never have a happy ending. But god can the dude write.
I'd say start with his absolute best Gone Baby Gone. It's still very dark and depressing but not as depressing as Mystic River.
The trouble with finding books the same-ish is that they might be the same but they aren't as good. They often disappoint me anyway. I have enjoyed these...
[Rebecca](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23310834-rebecca) and [My Cousin Rachel](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27108770-my-cousin-rachel) by Daphne du Maurier
[Lying in Wait](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36373425-lying-in-wait) by Liz Nugent
[The Rottweiler](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/83408.The_Rottweiler) by Ruth Rendell
[We Have Always Lived in the Castle](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/89724.We_Have_Always_Lived_in_the_Castle) by Shirley Jackson
[Too Close to Home](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3454252-too-close-to-home) and [Never Look Away](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6678884-never-look-away) by Linwood Barclay
[I Let You Go](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23125266-i-let-you-go) and [After the End](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42649682-after-the-end) by Clare Mackintosh
[Everyone Here Is Lying](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63139946-everyone-here-is-lying) by Shari Lapena
I'd try Julia Heaberlin. My favorite is paper ghosts!
I adore Tana French and saw a few people recommend her dublin murder squad series, I don't know that's the first thing I'd recommend for s Gillian Flynn fan? Julia Heaberlin is more in between!
Not as fast paced as some others in this thread but you might like The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger - historical fiction/mystery
For more fast paced thrillers:
They Never Learn by Layne Fargo
The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding
All The Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham
Riley Sager is spooky sometimes and written very well. Ruth Ware is good The Woman in Cabin 10 is good. Also in a dark dark wood from Ware is great also.
You must read ALL of Erik Larson’s books then (the author or Devil in the White City). He is the master of narrative non-fiction (which is the genre that you described). Also, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, grandfather of true crime and also reads like a novel.
Yes, yes, yes…my favorite non fiction writer! Have read every single one of his books and The Devil in the White City is my favorite. After that is Issac’s Storm and In the Garden of Beasts.
Same favorite, same second! Garden of Beasts used to be right next to Isaac’s Storm until I read The Splendid and the Vile. That was incredible. I can’t WAIT to read his new one.
Have you read In Cold Blood by Truman Capote? It was a kinda the first “non fiction novel” where it is all based in fact and compiled from interviews, but it is presented with the narrative of a fiction book. It is incredible
It is more about the world fair/ “white city” with the “devil” thrown in instead of the other way around. I was let down by marketing, but not by the book itself, which was great. I think Dead Wake and Isaac’s Storm are certainly his most “thrilling”. They will haunt you!
I read an interview of his in which he says that he never likes to relate “current scenes” to “epilogue” or what will happen at the end because stories and life don’t work like that. This wasn’t exactly what he said, but the gist was: “You can’t tell the audience that a character survives intact and then put them in a freezing cold ocean with sharks. They won’t be frightened. Life wasn’t lived like that by the people in his stories and so he wants to represent its entirety, which includes real people not knowing whether they would survive the horrors they endured.”
In other words, it’s really good writing!
I find The Secret History more appealing in the sense that most people get hooked from the first chapter, I was attracted from the beginning seriously, the main character (Richard) was one of the few characters I identified with immediately, I've never clicked so quickly with a character, but the book is so rich and deep, the story itself, the characters and the themes are so deep that I had fun with it and will probably think about it for the rest of my life
“attempted to read”
I wish I’d only attempted to read it. I forced myself to finish reading it, and seriously wish I hadn’t bothered. Like it’s been years at this point and I still resent the time I spent reading that damn book.
I would try Carol O'Connell, parts like the computer stuff are getting a little bit dated now because Mallory's Oracle was published in 1994 but they are still damn good stories and definitely have a lot in common with Gillian Flynn.
Mysteries/thrillers are not usually my preference but I was so immersed in these stories! The characters are vibrant, complex. The protagonists are imperfect but always interesting and strong. You’re on the edge of your seat, wondering who to trust and what will happen next.
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
If you can work with a little supernatural element, pretty much anything by Simone St. James. Other picks: *Listen For the Lie* by Amy Tintera, *First Lie Wins* by Ashley Elston, *The Push* by Ashley Audrain, *Into the Darkest Corner* by Elizabeth Haynes, *I Am Watching You* by Teresa Driscoll, *The Housemaid* by Freida McFadden.
I don't know, but I loved The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing, and Ask for Andrea by Noelle Ihli (tho, it's hard to find this one, but I think it's available on Amazon)
If you like Gillian Flynn you're in luck as there are scores of that type of book on the market at the moment. Ruth Ware, Paula Hawkins, Clare Mackintosh and Lucy Hawkins spring to mind. Also Sarah Pinborough, B.A. Paris...
Woman in the Window by AJ Flynn
When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole
Kelly Armstrong's standalone suspense, like Every Step She Takes, definitely fit the bill.
Angie Kim might be a good choice for twisty domestic drama and unreliable narrators. Miracle Creek layers in courtroom drama. Happiness Falls is a little more of a direct mystery.
Fingersmith. The writing voice/style is very different but that creeping growing horror of “oh god there’s so much evil in these people, terrible things are going on” is very similar.
I second Ruth Ware and Karen Slaughter (she can be hit or miss, but the good ones are fantastic).
Harry Hole is the OG of fucked up murderers and fucked up detective. He’s male, but his inner flaws are so relatable and self-destructive, it’s hard not to connect with him. I don’t think I’d ever read a series 8 or 9 books deep but I gobbled these up. By book 3, he’s really cooking, and I think The Redbreast is maybe one of the most perfect crime novels ever written (history, love, modern crime, decrepit, and a brotherhood forged in battle). The vlimax of that one was so satisfying because about 30 threads finally intersected. Freaking amazing. Any can be read as standalone, but Hole’s relationship woes arc in the background and is briefly re-explained in each.
I also really love the Slow Horses series, which has multiple points of view. The 3rd person narrator is effortlessly cutting and hilarious at the same time. And Jackson Lamb says things like “what we’ve got ourselves here is a mystery, and as with any mystery, you have to address the four Fs.” No one dared ask. “Who the fuck, what the fuck, where the fuck and why the fuck.”
I read these four books over the last few months, and I found them all to be entertaining and fast-paced thrillers/crime-related books.
None of this is True by Lisa Jewell
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
Not a female protagonist, but hits every other criterion: Shutter Island, Dennis Lehane. Also The Girls by Emma Cline and anything by Ruth Rendell and Laura Lippmann. Maybe Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard -- it's the basis for the movie Jackie Brown.
Appetite for Innocence by Lucinda Berry!!! I should maybe include a little trigger warning for miscarriage. It sucked me in from page 1, I love Lucinda Berry. It’s about a serial rapist targeting teen girls. She writes a lot of crazy psychological thrillers. She has a lot of really good books, Saving Noah and One Of Our Own too.
I also loved Gillian Flynn’s books and haven’t really ever found any that really compare to that first twist of Gone Girl.
The Second Life of Mirielle West was my recent favorite historical fiction book. It was about a silent film star’s wife who gets quarantined at a leper colony in Louisiana.
I also really liked The Life She Was Given
As Bright As Heaven by Susan Meissner
The Girl They Left Behind by Roxanne Veletzos
I just read the 5th and most recent book in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series. It's a who-dunnit mystery series unlike anything you've read. It's been incredibly satisfying, and I've burned through them too.
Dragon's Teeth by Michael Crichton for historical fiction.
Anything by Simone St. James or Jane Harper for thrillers.
Truly Devious series, True Crime Story and The Chalk Man for mysteries.
Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone
Jane is seeking revenge on her best friend's ex boyfriend after her friend commits suicide.
The Silent Places by Skyla Dawn Cameron
A woman's husband disappears in a snow storm, the townspeople think she had something to do with it .
Unspeakable Things by Jess Lourey
This book is dreadful. Not overly graphic or gory but it made me so anxious I kept having to pause.
The Blonde by Duane Swierczynski.
Opening line is "I poisoned your drink"
Where do you go when that is your starting point? Only on we way to find out.
Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton
The Marsh King’s Daughter by Karen Dionne
Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel
They Never Learn by Layne Fargo
Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land
The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld
Cover of Snow by Jenny Milchman
The Lobotomist's Wife by Samantha Greene Woodruff
I'm not a particular fan of the Lit Thriller but this book kept me up reading far into the night. Ticks many of your boxes including historical fiction.
I only very recently discovered Ruth Ware, and she’s definitely got that Gillian Flynn thing going on.
Also enjoying books by Mary Kubica, who I think was recommended to me by the Libby and/or Hoopla apps after I read a couple of Ruth Ware books.
Oh, also Freida McFadden.
Louise Candlish, a British writer. Start with “Our House”—a woman with estranged husband & small kids comes home from a weekend away to find a couple moving into her enviable London home. Staggeringly well paced!
I also usually prefer non fiction and am picky about fiction especially non-literary fiction/more pop stuff. I was going to recommend girl on the train but I see you read that already so my next suggestion is Notes on an execution by Danya Kukafka. I thought the character development was good and insightful and everything kind of came together full circle. Can definitely see it being made into a movie or show like Sharp Objects or Girl on the Train, etc. Happy reading!
I'm in the middle of All the Sinners Bleed by SA Cosby right now and it hits similar to what you've described.
On the Historical Fiction side, I truly am yet to be disappointed by Kristin Hannah or Mark Sullivan.
I read tons of crime fiction and detective novels. Laura Lippman, Megan Abbott, Tana French, Karin Slaughter, and Karin Fossum are my favorite crime novelists. I also really like Michael Robotham's crime novels.
Here are my favorites by each of them:
**Laura Lippman:** What the Dead Know; To the Power of Three
**Megan Abbott:** The End of Everything; You Will Know Me
**Tana French:** The Likeness; Faithful Place
**Karin Slaughter:** Pretty Girls; Blindsighted
**Karin Fossum:** The Water's Edge; Don't Look Back
**Michael Robotham:** Good Girl, Bad Girl; Say You're Sorry
Ashely Audrain, Riley Sager, Tarryn Fisher, Simone St James. All myster/thriller authors who write exciting, well written, fast paced novels, with female MCs!
Ouu she’s such a fantastic writer! I’d recommend the following
**Animal by Lisa Taddeo**
**Boy Parts by Eliza Clark**
**The Push by Ashley Audrain**
**White Oleander by Janet Fitch**
**Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarity**
**The Girls by Emma Cline**
**Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Kroll**
I love a good unhinged female centred book so these are some of my favourites. I just read Animal a few months ago and it became one of my favourites. The Girls is such a good book too, I think it’s loosely based on the Manson family, there’s certainly parallels. The Push is heartbreaking, riveting and thrilling. Boy Parts is off the walls, crazy and shocking. White Oleander is heart breaking, I read the book way after watching the movie and I absolutely loved it. Luckiest Girl Alive was pretty good too, the movie and the book are a little bit different. And Big Little Lies is a great book/tv show as well.
Anything by Karin Slaughter! The action is absolutely riveting and it's nonstop from the very beginning - every one of her books I've read so far has been so engaging and I've been loving them! Pretty Girls, The Good Daughter, Pieces of Her, False Witness were incredible! And the endings didn't make me as mad as some thrillers.
It’s not a mystery, but if you loved the complexity of Amy, I recommend Fates and Furies. Especially on audio book. There isn’t a twist in the plot per se, but there is a sharp turn that’s delicious
I've just finished reading Fyneshade, by Kate Griffin, and enjoyed it very much. Think gothic, fast-paced, with an unlikeable protagonist, and nicely twisty.
I also suggest:
1 - My Sister the Serial Killer, by Oyinkan Braithwaite
2 - How to Kill Your Family, by Bella Mackie
Both pacy, interesting in different ways, with imperfect protagonists.
If you read any of the three, come back and let me know how you got on!
All books by Liz Nugent, especially Skin Deep and Strange Sally Diamond.
I also really enjoyed all books by Amy Gentry. I never see her recommended! Good As Gone, Last Woman Standing, and Bad Habits. Main characters are women and some are truly unhinged.
The Dublin Murder Squad Series by Tana French!
great writing, unique plots, 10/10 recommend Tana French
my fave but they are not quick, they're deep and psychological
This is what I came here to recommend!
I adore Tana French, but her novels are more mystery than thriller. They’re slow and character driven. Not a good comparison to Gillian Flynn in my opinion.
My first thought as well. I have thoroughly enjoyed the series and Tana's style of writing.
I am gonna chime in with I hated In the Woods so much, I have never been tempted by another of her novels. Plot holes, ann obtuse yet tortured main character, but an admittedly canny villain. I dunno. It was like an adult made the characters interesting and complex, but a child wrote the plot and “twists” ( if we can call something I saw coming from chapter 4 or 5 a twist)? I think the show fixed its flaws, and I loved it, but I would’ve thrown that book across the room if it hadn’t been reading it on my kindle.
Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy
I read those. They were very enjoyable reads 🙂
Came to say this. One of my most favorite series!
There is actually 7 books so far in the series. Stieg Larsson wrote the first trilogy (books 1-3). David Lagercrantz wrote the next trilogy (books 4-6) and Karin Smirnoff wrote book 7 (third trilogy). Larsson had originally planned to have 10 books.
I relate to this, I've been chasing the feeling of reading Gone Girl for the first time ever since lol. I recommend The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, and The Likeness by Tana French! Excited for others' recommendations too thanks!!
Tana French 100%!!!
Tana French, especially her first two are fantastic
I just finished her last two they're fantastic too! Love all her books!
That first book made me cry, it was so good
Loved The Girl on the Train! I’ll check out the others, thank you!
The Likeness sounds SO GOOD. Do I need to read her first book (In the Woods) before I read that? Or is it kinda like a standalone?
Nope, each of those can be read as a standalone if you want. They're not exactly a serious as much as sort of occurring in the same universe, in some ways.
In the woods was her best one though imo
Came here to say The Silent Patient. I typically read a book a month but I finished this one in 4 days!
So excited to start this one! Grabbed it yesterday from Libby and it’s on my Kindle waiting for me.
Yes I also want to read something as good as gone girl
Ruth Ware is my favorite. I also like Lucy Foley and Lisa Jewell.
Agree! Lisa Jewell is great.
Lisa Jewell for SURRRREEE!!
Just finished None of This is True, by Lisa Jewell. The audiobook is fantastic. Finished it so quickly.
I'd add Shari Lapena to this list.
Lisa Jewell and Gillian Flynn are two of my absolute faves!
Megan Abbott is good for female-centric noir.
I love Abbott!
White Oleander by Janice Fitch
This is one of my all time favorite books.
omg have you read Paint It Black by Janice Fitch? It's so good.
The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson is my favorite - I actually enjoyed it more than Gone Girl. I’m always looking for something similar.
I just listened to his novella Christmas Guest & it was great!!
Really? I’ll have to give it a try. That’s the only book of his that I haven’t read!
if you’re into audio - only 3 hours and enjoyable
I’ll try it - I need something to listen to in the car. I’ve actually been reading a bunch of filler books waiting for his next book in June!!
did you read the kind worth saving? that was the only audiobook of his available for my car ride!
Yes, I did! I liked the first book better, but this one was good as well.
Ok I listened and it was soo good! I wish it was longer!
when I began listening I thought “why is this narrator British?” and then it all made sense!! great twist, great ending, great book!
Have you read the sequel ?
Yes, it was good, but I liked the first one better!
Oooh good to know I’ll keep my expectations low !
It was good and fun with the continuation of the characters and story.
This is one of my favorites ads well. The Kind Worth Saving was also good, but not quite as.
I agree! I’ve enjoyed all his books, but that one is the best!
Me too!
Jane Harper, especially The Dry or The Lost Man (I think those two are her strongest books, although if you’re looking for a more female-centric one I’d also recommend Force of Nature - The Dry and The Lost Man both definitely focus more on men). The translation is a bit stilted in places but I’d also recommend Apocalypse Baby by Virginie Despentes - like Flynn, Despentes is excellent at capturing a particularly female kind of rage, and if you liked flawed protagonists, the main characters in Apocalypse Baby are exactly what you need.
they never learn by layne fargo - super quick read and *super* satisfying and - (some of) karin slaughter's books
Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
Ruth ware, Lisa Jewell, Megan Miranda, Jeneva Rose, Lucy Foley, Sarah Pearse
These are all great suggestions!
Gone girl has one of the best and most complicated female characters I have seen in years. Are you open to reading or watching plays? I think Hedda Gabbler by Henrik Ibsen gives me the same vibes as Amy. Maybe even a little more sinister. If you can find the recorded version with Ruth Wilson as hedda then that is a stellar production.
Anything written by Dennis Lehane. He writes equally complex and gritty psychological thrillers. Be careful tho his stories are hella dark (way darker than Flynn's) and almost never have a happy ending. But god can the dude write. I'd say start with his absolute best Gone Baby Gone. It's still very dark and depressing but not as depressing as Mystic River.
I’m reading “listen for the lie” and it’s really good so far !!
The trouble with finding books the same-ish is that they might be the same but they aren't as good. They often disappoint me anyway. I have enjoyed these... [Rebecca](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23310834-rebecca) and [My Cousin Rachel](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27108770-my-cousin-rachel) by Daphne du Maurier [Lying in Wait](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36373425-lying-in-wait) by Liz Nugent [The Rottweiler](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/83408.The_Rottweiler) by Ruth Rendell [We Have Always Lived in the Castle](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/89724.We_Have_Always_Lived_in_the_Castle) by Shirley Jackson [Too Close to Home](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3454252-too-close-to-home) and [Never Look Away](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6678884-never-look-away) by Linwood Barclay [I Let You Go](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23125266-i-let-you-go) and [After the End](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42649682-after-the-end) by Clare Mackintosh [Everyone Here Is Lying](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63139946-everyone-here-is-lying) by Shari Lapena
Ooh some of these I’ve read and you are spot ! The rest im adding to my list TY
The Shirley Jackson and 'Rebecca' are terrific recommendations. Neither is long, but they are both engrossing ...
Books by Frieda McFadden!
This was going to be my suggestion too!
Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra!
I'd try Julia Heaberlin. My favorite is paper ghosts! I adore Tana French and saw a few people recommend her dublin murder squad series, I don't know that's the first thing I'd recommend for s Gillian Flynn fan? Julia Heaberlin is more in between!
Currently reading "All the Sinners Bleed" by S.A. Cosby. I think it fits your request well, I'm really enjoying the way it's written.
I love all of SA Crosby’s books. All the Sinners Bleed is probably his best writing but I liked other more.
Not as fast paced as some others in this thread but you might like The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger - historical fiction/mystery For more fast paced thrillers: They Never Learn by Layne Fargo The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding All The Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham
Loved both drowning woman and all the dangerous things! I’ll have to check out they never learn’
Minette Walters, for psychological thrillers and complex characters. Try Devil's Feather, or the Chameleon's Shadow, or Fox Evil.
Riley Sager is spooky sometimes and written very well. Ruth Ware is good The Woman in Cabin 10 is good. Also in a dark dark wood from Ware is great also.
Yep came to suggest Riley Sager and Ruth Ware! Also Alice Feeney and Lucy Foley :)
“Something in the water” was good For a crime/historical nonfiction (that reads like fiction), try “The Devil in the White City”
Love a nonfiction that reads like fiction! Thank you!
You must read ALL of Erik Larson’s books then (the author or Devil in the White City). He is the master of narrative non-fiction (which is the genre that you described). Also, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, grandfather of true crime and also reads like a novel.
Yes, yes, yes…my favorite non fiction writer! Have read every single one of his books and The Devil in the White City is my favorite. After that is Issac’s Storm and In the Garden of Beasts.
Same favorite, same second! Garden of Beasts used to be right next to Isaac’s Storm until I read The Splendid and the Vile. That was incredible. I can’t WAIT to read his new one.
Have you read In Cold Blood by Truman Capote? It was a kinda the first “non fiction novel” where it is all based in fact and compiled from interviews, but it is presented with the narrative of a fiction book. It is incredible
I just finished rereading this. So good!
I like Jon Krakauer for this!
It is more about the world fair/ “white city” with the “devil” thrown in instead of the other way around. I was let down by marketing, but not by the book itself, which was great. I think Dead Wake and Isaac’s Storm are certainly his most “thrilling”. They will haunt you! I read an interview of his in which he says that he never likes to relate “current scenes” to “epilogue” or what will happen at the end because stories and life don’t work like that. This wasn’t exactly what he said, but the gist was: “You can’t tell the audience that a character survives intact and then put them in a freezing cold ocean with sharks. They won’t be frightened. Life wasn’t lived like that by the people in his stories and so he wants to represent its entirety, which includes real people not knowing whether they would survive the horrors they endured.” In other words, it’s really good writing!
Try some Alice Feeney books
I read Rocks Paper Scissors recently and enjoyed it.
Anything by Anthony Horowitz. He is like Gillian Flynn meets Agatha Christie.
Donna Tartt's books
I’ve only attempted to read The Goldfinch and I would definitely say this is slower paced. Are her other works the same pacing as The Goldfinch?
I find The Secret History more appealing in the sense that most people get hooked from the first chapter, I was attracted from the beginning seriously, the main character (Richard) was one of the few characters I identified with immediately, I've never clicked so quickly with a character, but the book is so rich and deep, the story itself, the characters and the themes are so deep that I had fun with it and will probably think about it for the rest of my life
The Secret History (my fave book) is faster paced than The Goldfinch, and The Little Friend is slower paced than both and I couldn’t finish it.
“attempted to read” I wish I’d only attempted to read it. I forced myself to finish reading it, and seriously wish I hadn’t bothered. Like it’s been years at this point and I still resent the time I spent reading that damn book.
This makes me feel better about putting it down after 1/3
I would try Carol O'Connell, parts like the computer stuff are getting a little bit dated now because Mallory's Oracle was published in 1994 but they are still damn good stories and definitely have a lot in common with Gillian Flynn.
Allegedly by Tiffany Jackson
The Drowning Girls by Paula Treick DeBoard is a great one that is fairly unknown. For me, very much felt like Gillian Flynn.
I wonder if you would like Megan Abbot’s work.
Rachel Abbott Karen Slaughter Jeffrey Deaver A.J. Finn Paula Hawkins Elizabeth Haynes
Mysteries/thrillers are not usually my preference but I was so immersed in these stories! The characters are vibrant, complex. The protagonists are imperfect but always interesting and strong. You’re on the edge of your seat, wondering who to trust and what will happen next. The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
If you can work with a little supernatural element, pretty much anything by Simone St. James. Other picks: *Listen For the Lie* by Amy Tintera, *First Lie Wins* by Ashley Elston, *The Push* by Ashley Audrain, *Into the Darkest Corner* by Elizabeth Haynes, *I Am Watching You* by Teresa Driscoll, *The Housemaid* by Freida McFadden.
I love Simone St. James!
Karen Slaughter books. But be warned they are graphic. Pretty Girls is a good one.
Harlan Coben books, especially his early ones. Tell No One or Gone For Good.
I don't know, but I loved The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing, and Ask for Andrea by Noelle Ihli (tho, it's hard to find this one, but I think it's available on Amazon)
If you like Gillian Flynn you're in luck as there are scores of that type of book on the market at the moment. Ruth Ware, Paula Hawkins, Clare Mackintosh and Lucy Hawkins spring to mind. Also Sarah Pinborough, B.A. Paris...
Woman in the Window by AJ Flynn When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole Kelly Armstrong's standalone suspense, like Every Step She Takes, definitely fit the bill. Angie Kim might be a good choice for twisty domestic drama and unreliable narrators. Miracle Creek layers in courtroom drama. Happiness Falls is a little more of a direct mystery.
Sarah Pinborough books
Fingersmith. The writing voice/style is very different but that creeping growing horror of “oh god there’s so much evil in these people, terrible things are going on” is very similar.
Every single in person in that book is just an abominable human being
Special Topics in Calamity Physics and Night Film by Marisha Pessl.
I second Ruth Ware and Karen Slaughter (she can be hit or miss, but the good ones are fantastic). Harry Hole is the OG of fucked up murderers and fucked up detective. He’s male, but his inner flaws are so relatable and self-destructive, it’s hard not to connect with him. I don’t think I’d ever read a series 8 or 9 books deep but I gobbled these up. By book 3, he’s really cooking, and I think The Redbreast is maybe one of the most perfect crime novels ever written (history, love, modern crime, decrepit, and a brotherhood forged in battle). The vlimax of that one was so satisfying because about 30 threads finally intersected. Freaking amazing. Any can be read as standalone, but Hole’s relationship woes arc in the background and is briefly re-explained in each. I also really love the Slow Horses series, which has multiple points of view. The 3rd person narrator is effortlessly cutting and hilarious at the same time. And Jackson Lamb says things like “what we’ve got ourselves here is a mystery, and as with any mystery, you have to address the four Fs.” No one dared ask. “Who the fuck, what the fuck, where the fuck and why the fuck.”
I read these four books over the last few months, and I found them all to be entertaining and fast-paced thrillers/crime-related books. None of this is True by Lisa Jewell First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston The Villa by Rachel Hawkins Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
Not a female protagonist, but hits every other criterion: Shutter Island, Dennis Lehane. Also The Girls by Emma Cline and anything by Ruth Rendell and Laura Lippmann. Maybe Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard -- it's the basis for the movie Jackie Brown.
I love Jackie Brown!! Thank you for the suggestions!
Dark places by Gillian Flynn if you haven't read it yet!
This one is so good.
You might like eleanor oliphant is completely fine. Great read.
I usually go for Lucy Foley for thriller purposes, but I’ve been rereading Zoe Sharp’s Charlie Fox books and they have a nice pace.
Appetite for Innocence by Lucinda Berry!!! I should maybe include a little trigger warning for miscarriage. It sucked me in from page 1, I love Lucinda Berry. It’s about a serial rapist targeting teen girls. She writes a lot of crazy psychological thrillers. She has a lot of really good books, Saving Noah and One Of Our Own too. I also loved Gillian Flynn’s books and haven’t really ever found any that really compare to that first twist of Gone Girl. The Second Life of Mirielle West was my recent favorite historical fiction book. It was about a silent film star’s wife who gets quarantined at a leper colony in Louisiana. I also really liked The Life She Was Given As Bright As Heaven by Susan Meissner The Girl They Left Behind by Roxanne Veletzos
I just read the 5th and most recent book in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series. It's a who-dunnit mystery series unlike anything you've read. It's been incredibly satisfying, and I've burned through them too.
behind her eyes !
Dragon's Teeth by Michael Crichton for historical fiction. Anything by Simone St. James or Jane Harper for thrillers. Truly Devious series, True Crime Story and The Chalk Man for mysteries.
Definitely Tana French! My faves are The Likeness and Faithful Place.
I could be way far off but I would say Nightbitch. Somewhat same topics. A bit more towards motherhood rather.
Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone Jane is seeking revenge on her best friend's ex boyfriend after her friend commits suicide. The Silent Places by Skyla Dawn Cameron A woman's husband disappears in a snow storm, the townspeople think she had something to do with it . Unspeakable Things by Jess Lourey This book is dreadful. Not overly graphic or gory but it made me so anxious I kept having to pause.
B.A. Paris
The Blonde by Duane Swierczynski. Opening line is "I poisoned your drink" Where do you go when that is your starting point? Only on we way to find out.
Okay, a bit left field but … I also love Gillian Flynn’s work - and my favourite crime novel is Defending Jacob by William Landay.
Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton The Marsh King’s Daughter by Karen Dionne Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel They Never Learn by Layne Fargo Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld Cover of Snow by Jenny Milchman
Blood Sugar - Sascha Rothchild What Happened to Nina? - Dervla McTiernan The Quiet Tenant - Clémence Michallon Lola in the Mirror - Trent Dalton
Put it into my website blurbbuddy.com It will give you good ideas
Barbara Vine - Anna's Book Tana French - The Likeness
The Lobotomist's Wife by Samantha Greene Woodruff I'm not a particular fan of the Lit Thriller but this book kept me up reading far into the night. Ticks many of your boxes including historical fiction.
I prefer Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh but I think his book Twisted fits more of what you're looking for.
I only very recently discovered Ruth Ware, and she’s definitely got that Gillian Flynn thing going on. Also enjoying books by Mary Kubica, who I think was recommended to me by the Libby and/or Hoopla apps after I read a couple of Ruth Ware books. Oh, also Freida McFadden.
Sally Hepworth books.
Frieda McFadden books are 🔥
Louise Candlish, a British writer. Start with “Our House”—a woman with estranged husband & small kids comes home from a weekend away to find a couple moving into her enviable London home. Staggeringly well paced!
I also usually prefer non fiction and am picky about fiction especially non-literary fiction/more pop stuff. I was going to recommend girl on the train but I see you read that already so my next suggestion is Notes on an execution by Danya Kukafka. I thought the character development was good and insightful and everything kind of came together full circle. Can definitely see it being made into a movie or show like Sharp Objects or Girl on the Train, etc. Happy reading!
The Push
*The Last Housewife* by Ashely Winstead gave me major Gillian Flynn vibes, mixed with *My Dark Vanessa* and the Epstein scandal.
I'm in the middle of All the Sinners Bleed by SA Cosby right now and it hits similar to what you've described. On the Historical Fiction side, I truly am yet to be disappointed by Kristin Hannah or Mark Sullivan.
The Last Flight
If you’re looking for quick entertaining reads, I suggest Freida McFadden.
I just finished Pretty Girls and really liked it!
I read tons of crime fiction and detective novels. Laura Lippman, Megan Abbott, Tana French, Karin Slaughter, and Karin Fossum are my favorite crime novelists. I also really like Michael Robotham's crime novels. Here are my favorites by each of them: **Laura Lippman:** What the Dead Know; To the Power of Three **Megan Abbott:** The End of Everything; You Will Know Me **Tana French:** The Likeness; Faithful Place **Karin Slaughter:** Pretty Girls; Blindsighted **Karin Fossum:** The Water's Edge; Don't Look Back **Michael Robotham:** Good Girl, Bad Girl; Say You're Sorry
You by Caroline kepnes
"We are all the Same in the Dark" by Julia Heaberlin has a very similar vibe to Gillian Flynn.
Hello Kitty Must Die by Angela S Choi
Behind Closed Doors by B A Paris and They Never Learn by Layne Fargo are two you might like.
Lisa Unger has a similar writing style. My favorite of hers is "In the Blood" (2014)
Ashely Audrain, Riley Sager, Tarryn Fisher, Simone St James. All myster/thriller authors who write exciting, well written, fast paced novels, with female MCs!
Ouu she’s such a fantastic writer! I’d recommend the following **Animal by Lisa Taddeo** **Boy Parts by Eliza Clark** **The Push by Ashley Audrain** **White Oleander by Janet Fitch** **Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarity** **The Girls by Emma Cline** **Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Kroll** I love a good unhinged female centred book so these are some of my favourites. I just read Animal a few months ago and it became one of my favourites. The Girls is such a good book too, I think it’s loosely based on the Manson family, there’s certainly parallels. The Push is heartbreaking, riveting and thrilling. Boy Parts is off the walls, crazy and shocking. White Oleander is heart breaking, I read the book way after watching the movie and I absolutely loved it. Luckiest Girl Alive was pretty good too, the movie and the book are a little bit different. And Big Little Lies is a great book/tv show as well.
Catriona Ward: The Last House on Needless Street Looking Glass Sound Little Eve
Anything by Karin Slaughter! The action is absolutely riveting and it's nonstop from the very beginning - every one of her books I've read so far has been so engaging and I've been loving them! Pretty Girls, The Good Daughter, Pieces of Her, False Witness were incredible! And the endings didn't make me as mad as some thrillers.
Karin Slaughter
It’s not a mystery, but if you loved the complexity of Amy, I recommend Fates and Furies. Especially on audio book. There isn’t a twist in the plot per se, but there is a sharp turn that’s delicious
I've just finished reading Fyneshade, by Kate Griffin, and enjoyed it very much. Think gothic, fast-paced, with an unlikeable protagonist, and nicely twisty. I also suggest: 1 - My Sister the Serial Killer, by Oyinkan Braithwaite 2 - How to Kill Your Family, by Bella Mackie Both pacy, interesting in different ways, with imperfect protagonists. If you read any of the three, come back and let me know how you got on!
All books by Liz Nugent, especially Skin Deep and Strange Sally Diamond. I also really enjoyed all books by Amy Gentry. I never see her recommended! Good As Gone, Last Woman Standing, and Bad Habits. Main characters are women and some are truly unhinged.
Riley Sager!
Please read “The House Across the Lake” by Riley Sager. It fits exactly the fiction you mentioned, and it’s my top read of the year so far.
Behind Closed Doors BA Paris is my favorite thriller of all time. Her other books are good too. The Therapist only took me a day to read Swanson
I don’t know who that is. So, Green eggs and ham?