There are only so many books we can read in a year and invariably, some great books come out that too many of us somehow miss. Some books get the hype, and some just seem to fly below the radar. With so many new and exciting books coming out every week, it’s hard to remember to go back and pick up some books we may have missed in previous years.
With that, we take a look at eight outstanding thrillers that came out in 2018 that you just might have missed!
Her Pretty Face by Robyn Harding
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This story of two mothers, who both have children at an elite private school, is told through multiple perspectives over two separate timelines. It is a fast-paced attention-grabber and will keep the reader guessing and looking for clues, as one of these women is not who she claims to be! This book examines friendships, family dynamics, betrayal, loyalty, secrets, and so much more.
The Broken Girls by Simone St. James
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Part thriller, part ghost story, this tale plays out over two timelines, more than sixty years apart. There are ruins of an old boarding school, a journalist with a tragic connection to the school, and secrets that were meant to stay hidden forever, all coming together in this spooky page-turner.
Crimson Lake by Candice Fox
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Enjoy books with unlikely duos? This complex tale pairs a former detective who was publicly accused of a terrible crime, but consistently maintained his innocence, with a private investigator who is also a convicted murderer, but who may not be the cold-hearted killer she tries to portray. As they tackle a case together, there are enough twists and turns to keep the reader glued to this book! Fox is a writer that can make the reader feel the atmosphere and the setting as if they are emanating from the pages.
Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton
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Two women meet through a chance encounter and a story unravels that brings The Talented Mr. Ripley into the social media world. There’s glitz and glamour, lies and deceit, back-stabbing, and obsession in this tale. Sometimes the reader can see where things are headed and other times the reader will gasp in surprise.
All the Beautiful Lies by Peter Swanson
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This story has a bit of a film noir quality in the way it is told, and the way the events unfold. Swanson continues his streak of writing psychological suspense that is absolutely addicting. Some readers and reviewers could not get past the taboo relationships (and the associated “ick” factor) that occur throughout the book, so online reviews and ratings are all over the place. I personally loved all the twists and turns. This is another book that weaves two different timelines together to make an incredible story.
The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian
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This thriller hits the ground running and immediately sweeps the reader up into a murder plot that involves mistaken identities, foreign locations, and international travel. Written so that, at times, the reader knows more than the characters, and at other times the reader is finding out information the same way, and at the same time, as the characters in the book. This story provides twists, turns, and surprises from cover to cover.
If I Die Tonight by Alison Gaylin
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Full of expertly written characters, this book sets its prologue at the end of the story, and then tells you how it got there. With almost the entire book taking place over just a 5-day period, this story moves along at just the right pace. Covering issues of friendship, isolation, secrets, social media, and family dynamics, it is rich and nuanced as well as being a page-turning thriller.
Force of Nature by Jane Harper
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While one of the main characters in this novel was introduced in Harper’s previous book, The Dry, these are not really part of a series. While The Dry is fantastic, and I highly recommend it, it is not necessary to read it before reading Force of Nature. In this novel, five women are on a corporate team building backpacking trip, but only four women make it out of the woods. The missing woman also happened to have a connection to an ongoing money laundering case, so financial crimes investigators find themselves having to cooperate with the detectives working the missing persons case. Harper writes amazing characters and always uses a story’s setting in an incredibly engaging way.
Go back and look for some of the books you may have missed in the last couple of years! Check out the back catalogues of some of your favourite authors or look at some of your old TBR lists, and see what you might have missed. You are likely to be pleasantly surprised!
