Book picks similar to
The Silence by Joss Stirling


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fiction
psychological-thriller
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No Sister of Mine


Vivien Brown - 2020
    They couldn’t be more different.Eve, the mature and sensible one. Sarah, headstrong and eager for a taste of life.When Eve brings a new face home for the holidays, Sarah does something that will change both of their lives forever. Something that Eve can never forget – or forgive.But life won’t keep them apart forever and decades later, one of them will have to choose whether to put the past behind her, or to hold on to hate forever…Praise for Vivien Brown:‘A truly gripping read … which keeps you on the edge of your seat’ My Weekly‘Nail-biting… Vivien carefully constructs this web of intrigue’ People’s Friend

The Wrong Move


Jennifer Savin - 2019
    But when Jessie learns a previous flatmate has disappeared, she starts to doubt if she can really trust these strangers after all . . .When you flatshare, how well do you really know the people you’re living with?

New Year's Eve


J.G. Murray - 2020
    No more run-down flats in dodgy areas. But behind the exterior of this beautiful Victorian house, things are less than picture-perfect, and the tight-knit community is unwelcoming.When Hayley befriends the woman next door, no-one is pleased. Least of all the man from upstairs. The one who watches them all from behind his window. Then they receive an invite for a New Year's Eve party. But what seems like a friendly gesture, proves to be anything but...

Flowers for the Dead


C.K. Williams - 2020
    I am their cautionary tale. Nineteen years ago Linn Wilson was attacked. Seventeen-years-old and home alone, she’d been waiting for her friends to arrive when she heard the doorbell ring. But when she opened the door, Linn let in her worst nightmare. The culprit was never found. It was someone I knew. I am going to find out who did this to me. Now, Linn is determined to get to the bottom of the night that changed her life forever. Returning to the village where she grew up, she knows that someone must know something. The claustrophobia and isolation of small town living means secrets won’t remain secrets for long… A wonderfully tense and gripping suspense thriller that will have you hooked! Perfect for fans of D.K Hood’s Detective Kane and Alton series and Sheryl Browne.

The Family Friend


C.C. MacDonald - 2021
    IT ONLY TAKES ONE TO DESTROY YOU.Erin lives an idyllic life by the seaside with her baby boy and Australian fiancé. She's upbeat and happy - a natural mum.At least that's what her thousands of followers on Instagram think.In reality, Erin is struggling with anxiety and finding it difficult to connect with her screaming son. So, when an agent offers to make her the biggest Instamum out there, she can't refuse.And when Amanda, a family friend who's visiting from Australia, says she'll move in and babysit to help make it happen, it seems like the stars have finally aligned for Erin's exciting new career.But there's something Amanda isn't telling her.Something that will destroy Erin's carefully curated persona online.___________________________ Praise for HAPPY EVER AFTER: 'Kept me gripped and kept me guessing' Erin Kelly, author of He Said/She Said'Excellent domestic noir, chillingly plausible... I loved the ending' Jo Spain, author of The Confession'An absorbing story, a bunch of unexpected twists, great writing. I totally lost myself in this book' John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

The Secret Sister


Karen Clarke - 2020
    A beautiful house, a charming husband and a precious baby daughter – her life has pretty much turned out exactly as she planned.But when Ella’s mother tragically dies, her perfect life starts to crack. Her mother had been harbouring a life-long secret. Ella has a sister – an older sister – called Colleen.Excited by the thought of no-longer being an only child, Ella can’t wait to find her.But Colleen has a whirlwind past of her own. Desperate to escape her troubles, she is ready to go to any length to start afresh.As their paths collide, someone is keeping secrets… and when Colleen mysteriously disappears without notice, Ella can’t help but question if she should have started looking for her at all…

Do Her No Harm


Naomi Joy - 2020
    A best friend determined to right the wrongs of the past.On the 21st August Tabitha Rice disappeared without a trace. All the signs point to murder, but no signs point to a murderer. The easiest answer is her husband, Rick. But he protests his innocence and there is little proof he is the murderer.Annabella knows there is more to the story than what the police are telling. Tabitha was her best friend and she vows to uncover the truth.As Annabella delves further into the past, she uncovers sides to Tabitha that she never saw coming, and she finds herself asking the question... Was this murder? Or is there more to Tabitha Rice's story than meets the eye?

Paper Dolls


Lisa Bradley - 2020
    Someone else hasn't either - and they're going to make you pay. When Leah was editor of her local paper, two teenage girl went missing. One, Hope, was middle-class and white, from a perfect nuclear family. The other, Tilly, was a black girl from a council estate - and a habitual runaway. Leah made the decision to put Hope on the front page, and she was found the next day. Tilly got a small mention on page 18, and was never seen again.Sixteen years on Leah still blames herself for the consequences of her decision. And now strange things are happening to her. She finds herself being stalked by an unknown stranger who starts leaving paper dolls for her, cut from the newspapers she used to edit, and lit candles in her house and garden. These are the same candles Leah lights for Tilly in church every year as way of seeking some kind of redemption.Her husband, son and friend, Bunty, believe the struggle of no longer working and the ongoing guilt over Tilly's murder are making her delusional. They think Leah is making the dolls and lighting the candles herself. Is is all in Leah's head? Or is there a far more real danger lurking nearby...

She's Mine


Claire S. Lewis - 2019
     When Scarlett falls asleep on a Caribbean beach she awakes to her worst nightmare – Katie is gone. With all fingers pointed to her Scarlett must risk everything to clear her name. As Scarlett begins to unravel the complicated past of Katie's mother she begins to think there's more to Katie's disappearance than meets the eye. But who would want to steal a child? And how did no-one see anything on the small island? Time is running out and Scarlett is certain of only one thing – she didn't kill Katie. Did she?

The Hidden Wife


Amanda Reynolds - 2019
    They were celebrating their anniversary at their stunning country estate. So why did Julia Blake walk out of her perfect life, apparently leaving no trace?Seren, a junior reporter for the local paper, can't believe her luck when she lands an exclusive with Julia's husband, Max. But as Seren spends more time at the couple's remote mansion, probing ever deeper into the case, dark questions await.What was Julia really like, behind closed doors? Was her marriage to this brooding, secretive man as perfect as it seemed? And did she really mean to disappear that night - or was she murdered?

Silent Lies


Kathryn Croft - 2017
    Five words will destroy it again. Mia Hamilton lived the perfect life with her husband, university teacher Zach, and their two-year-old daughter, Freya. But everything changed when Zach committed suicide on the same night one of his students, Josie Carpenter, vanished. Five years later, and Josie is still missing but Mia has finally found some happiness with new boyfriend Will. Until one day when stranger Alison walks into her life and tells Mia that her husband didn’t kill himself. Desperate to find out what really happened to Zach, Mia is forced to put her trust in Alison. But she soon discovers that Alison has her own agenda behind exposing the details of Zach’s death. Can Mia really believe anything Alison says? Mia must decide how far she is willing to go to uncover the truth – even if she risks losing everything she loves.

The Vanishing Child


Jennifer Harvey - 2021
    His blond hair neatly combed, smiling for the camera. I thought, you will disappear, Johnny. This will be the last photo taken of you.Forty years ago: Cece’s son went out on his bike on a hot summer’s day and never came home. Every evening she lingers on her front porch, hoping to see him coming up the driveway. But the street remains empty and, with her heart aching, Cece goes back inside and closes the door behind her…Forty years later: On a rare visit to her father, Carla stumbles across a box tucked away in one of the cupboards. Full of her father’s diaries and old newspaper clippings, it tells the story of the disappearance of three boys when her father was just a child.Her father refuses to discuss the missing children and his silence only makes Carla more curious. When she meets the mother of the last boy who went missing, and sees her pain first-hand, Carla becomes determined to help Cece finally lay her child to rest.But as Carla begins to read the diaries and discovers more about the dark days all those years before, she realises the truth might be more complicated than she thought. There are people in this town who will do anything to stop her digging up the past, and uncovering the truth could change her world in ways she never imagined possible…A totally gripping, emotionally charged suspense novel about small-town secrets and the price of facing up to the truth. Fans of Liane Moriarty, Diane Chamberlain and The Silent Daughter will be gripped from the very first page until the final, heart-stopping twist.

Night Falls, Still Missing


Helen Callaghan - 2020
    She accepted her old friend's invitation with some trepidation - her relationship with Madison has never been plain sailing. But as she approaches Madison's cottage, she sees that the windows are dark. The place has been stripped bare. No one knows where Madison has gone.As Fiona tries to find out where Madison has vanished to, she begins to unravel a web of lies. Madison didn't live the life she claimed to, and now Fiona's own life is in danger . . . Praise for Helen Callaghan: 'Riveting' Sunday Times 'Thrilling' Sun 'A tense plot, imaginative twists, and smart writing' Julia Heaberlin, bestselling author of Black-Eyed Susans

Bad Little Girl


Frances Vick - 2017
    Everyone thinks she’s a nasty piece of work. The schoolchildren call her a thief. But Lorna’s hair is matted, her shoes pinch her feet and school teacher Claire Penny can’t help herself; some kids just need a bit more support, a bit more love, than the rest.As the bond between teacher and pupil grows stronger, Claire sees Lorna’s bruises, and digs to uncover the disturbing tale behind them. Heartbroken, Claire knows she has to act. She must make Lorna safe. Just when Claire thinks she has protected Lorna, a chance encounter brings enigmatic stranger Marianne Cairns into their lives. Marianne seems generous and kind but there is something about her story that doesn’t quite add up. Why does she feel so at home, and why is Lorna suddenly so unsettled?Claire has risked everything to save Lorna. But what can save Claire from the shocking truth?An utterly unputdownable and darkly compelling read that will have fans of The Girl on the Train, The Sister, and Gone Girl absolutely hooked.

Kiss Her Goodbye


Susan Gee - 2018
     Kirsten Green has gone missing. I killed Kirsten Green. Seventeen-year-old Hayley Reynolds is unwanted at home, and an outsider at school. Pushed away by her best friend Kirsten Green, she makes a deliberate, chilling decision – if Kirsten can't belong to her, then she won't belong to anyone... DI Beverley Samuels has the body of a schoolgirl on her hands – a murder that brings back the hauntingly painful memories of the case she's tried so desperately to forget. There's something deeply disturbing about this crime – and yet with little hard evidence it's up to her to decide who she will believe... Kiss Her Goodbye is a dark psychological crime novel featuring a brilliantly manipulative psychopath – and with a shock ending that is the best twist of 2018!