Book picks similar to
A Bad, Bad Thing by V.J. Chambers
mystery
psychological-thrillers
sample
4-star
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.
The Whispers
Heidi Perks - 2021
Anna loves Girls’ Night with her friends. With the kids safely in bed, it’s a chance for the women to let loose, enjoy some wine, and just laugh. But after one lively evening, Anna doesn’t arrive for school drop-off the next morning—or the next, or the next. Everyone, especially her husband and young son, are frantic with worry but none more so than Grace, her childhood best friend. Grace is certain that someone is hiding the truth about Anna’s unexplained disappearance. As rumors fly and accusations are whispered among neighbors, Grace decides to take matters into her own hands and find out what happened to Anna…or die trying.
The Lies He Told
Valerie Keogh - 2021
Four angry women. One crime of passion.Successful Misty is happy living with her perfect boyfriend until he tells her he is leaving.Elegant Gwen is excited about the new man in her life until she discovers he’s been lying to her.Angry Babs has the love of her life lured away, first by Misty then by Gwen, and she wants revenge.Long-suffering Dee is a wife who takes her wandering husband back every single time.When the lives of these four women collide, the results are deadly.One thing is for certain, the consequences of lying will be murder…The Lies He Told is a gripping psychological thriller full of twists and turns which will keep you guessing until the very end. It's the perfect read for readers of domestic noir, as well as for fans of authors like Louise Jensen, B A Paris and K.L. Slater.
Behind His Eyes: Consequences
Aleatha Romig - 2014
What was Tony thinking? Control? Acquisition? Domination? Love? Behind His Eyes - Consequences explores significant scenes as well as behind-the-scenes moments from the first book of the Consequences series. Not a total re-write, this companion explores the mind of the man who thought he set the rules and delivered the consequences. From the beginning. Anthony Rawlings has the perfect world: money, influence, and power. Everything in his life is and has always been planned, executed, and predicted... until Claire. How long can he deny what is right before him? Experience the rare opportunity to see this esteemed man’s world change, from behind his eyes. It is always darkest before the light. Through significant scenes, experience the dark journey into the mind of the man who believes that he controls everything yet controls nothing. Share his thoughts as glitches are overcome and accidents are survived. For the avid reader of the Consequences series, it is recommended that this companion be read after Consequences, Truth, Convicted, and Revealed for more insight into the man who: “Once upon a time, she signed a napkin that he knew was a contract. As an esteemed businessman, he forgot one very important rule. He forgot to read the fine print. It wasn’t an acquisition to own another person as he’d previously assumed. It was an agreement to acquire a soul.” — Aleatha Romig, Convicted
Every Breath You Take: A True Story of Obsession, Revenge, and Murder
Ann Rule - 2000
Although happily ensconced in a loving second marriage, and a new family of quadruplets, Sheila never truly escaped the vicious enslavement of her ex-husband, multi-millionaire Allen Blackthorne, a handsome charmer— and a violent, controlling sociopath who subjected Sheila to unthinkable abuse in their marriage, and terrorized her for a decade after their divorce. When Sheila was slain in her home, in the presence of her four toddlers, authorities raced to link the crime to Blackthorne, the man who vowed to monitor Sheila's every move in his obsessive quest for power and revenge.
Someone Else's House
Jessica Vallance - 2019
Stay in a 'home away from home'. But if it's someone else's house, then you're not the only one with the key.Lauren has finally dumped her dead-weight boyfriend, and what better way to celebrate a break-up than by going on holiday with your best friend?Except the holiday isn't turning out as planned - their cosy twosome has become a three and while Barcelona might be heaven, their rented apartment is anything but. It's small, shabby but, more than that, Lauren can't help but feel hunted.As the strange incidents escalate, Lauren and her friends decide to make their escape. But it's when they leave that the real danger begins.
The Memory Child
Steena Holmes - 2014
He's been patiently waiting for twelve years to become a father. But Diane has always been nervous about having children because of her family's dark past. The timing of the pregnancy also isn't ideal - Diane has just been promoted, and Brian is being called away to open a new London office for his company. Fast-forward one year: being a mother has brought Diane a sense of joy that she'd never imagined and she's head over heels for her new baby, Grace. But things are far from perfect: Brian has still not returned from London, and Diane fears leaving the baby for even a moment. As unsettling changes in those around Diane began to emerge, it becomes clear that all is not as it seems. A woman's dark past collides head-on with her mysterious present in this surreal and gripping family drama.
The Dream House
Jess Ryder - 2019
It’s everything she’s ever wanted …When I first set eyes on Westhill House with its breath-taking views of the sea I knew Jack and I could make this our forever home.It may be falling apart with an overgrown garden, but with some tender loving care, we can repair this beautiful building and perhaps our relationship too …But the more time I spend renovating our new house, the more time Jack is spending at work.At least Lori is here to keep me company.She has her own troubles yet she always listens to mine.She’s helping to restore the house, uncovering its secrets one by one.Like the children’s drawings under the wallpaper in the back bedroom.The hidden papers underneath the floorboards in the turret room.And the fact that Westhill House is a place women used to go to feel safe …Lori seems to know a lot about Westhill House.The question is, why?A gripping, spine-chilling read brimming with secrets and lies. If you loved The Girl on the Train, The Wife Between Us or The Woman in the Window then this dark, twisting psychological thriller from Amazon chart bestseller Jess Ryder is guaranteed to have you gripped. Previously titled THE GUEST.
The Weekend Away
Sarah Alderson - 2020
Trust no one. Suspect everyone.Orla and Kate have been best friends forever. Together they’ve faced it all – be it Orla’s struggles as a new mother or Kate’s messy divorce. And whatever else happens in their lives, they can always look forward to their annual weekend away.This year, they’re off to Lisbon: the perfect flat, the perfect view, the perfect itinerary. And what better way to kick things off in style than with the perfect night out?But when Orla wakes up the next morning, Kate is gone. Brushed off by the police and with only a fuzzy memory of the night’s events, Orla is her friend’s only hope. As she frantically retraces their steps, Orla makes a series of shattering discoveries that threaten everything she holds dear. Because while Lisbon holds the secret of what happened that night, the truth may lie closer to home…
We Are All the Same in the Dark
Julia Heaberlin - 2020
Psychologically absorbing, original and atmospheric. I could not turn the pages fast enough."--Elin Hilderbrand, #1 New York Times bestselling author of 28 SummersIt's been a decade since Trumanell Branson disappeared, leaving only a bloody handprint behind. Her pretty face still hangs like a watchful queen on the posters on the walls of the town's Baptist church, the police station, and in the high school. They all promise the same thing: We will find you. Meanwhile, her brother, Wyatt, lives as a pariah in the desolation of the old family house, cleared of wrongdoing by the police but tried and sentenced in the court of public opinion and in a new documentary about the crime.When Wyatt finds a lost girl dumped in a field of dandelions, making silent wishes, he believes she is a sign. The town's youngest cop, Odette Tucker, believes she is a catalyst that will ignite a seething town still waiting for its own missing girl to come home. But Odette can't look away. She shares a wound that won't close with the mute, one-eyed mystery girl. And she is haunted by her own history with the missing Tru.Desperate to solve both cases, Odette fights to save the lost girl in the present and to dig up the shocking truth about a fateful night in the past--the night her friend disappeared, the night that inspired her to become a cop, the night that wrote them all a role in the town's dark, violent mythology.In this twisty psychological thriller, Julia Heaberlin paints unforgettable portraits of a woman and a girl who redefine perceptions of physical beauty and strength.Praise for We Are All the Same in the Dark"[Julia] Heaberlin knows how to build to a truly shocking twist, how to break a reader's heart and then begin mending it. 'What's coming is always unimaginable, ' Odette's one-time therapist tells her, 'and by that, I mean just that. It cannot be imagined. What's coming never acts or behaves the way we think it will.' That's true for this novel, too."--Dallas Morning News
The Woman at 46 Heath Street
Lesley Sanderson - 2019
No stamp, swirly handwriting in black ink. I pull out a piece of paper, stiffening when I read the message. Hands trembling, the note slides to the floor. Your husband is having an affair. Six words written in neat block letters. Six words slipped through her letterbox, destroying her marriage, exposing Ella’s perfect life as perfect lies. But Ella has a plan: Alice is the answer to her problems. A lodger, to help keep her afloat, a friend, to keep the loneliness at bay. Only Alice has her own reasons for wanting to live at 46 Heath Street…
I'll Be Watching You
Courtney Evan Tate - 2019
She decides to take a moonlight paddle at her divorced parents’ Florida beachside inn to take the edge off her anxiety. Moments later she vanishes in the water without a trace. The police assume death by drowning since sharks had been sighted nearby earlier in the day. They do a cursory investigation and that's it. The community comes out to give support, but days later her mother Emily is still wondering what happened to her beautiful daughter. And why is there no body?In the days that follow, Emily accidentally discovers pornographic images of her daughter on her laptop. Some appear to be selfies taken for someone else's pleasure. Others are clearly taken by a voyeur and sent to Leah. Shockingly, they reveal darkly tantalizing clues to an older man’s involvement. Emily's heartbreak turns to deep rage as she sets out to unmask who this monster is who has stolen her daughter's innocence--and perhaps more. As her suspicion falls on various locals who, as unlikely as they may seem, may have lured Leah into risky, even deadly, behavior--the youth pastor, the long time resident in bungalow 3, his son who visits from New York--she trusts no one. Suddenly her once close knit community, itself its own paradise, has been invaded by evil, an evil that is still lurking in the shadows--one that she is determined to expose.
One Mistake
Rona Halsall - 2020
Looking around her home with its cosy kitchen and living room, where her energetic teenage daughters and gorgeous four-year-old son all eat, play and live together, she knows she’d do anything to keep them safe.So when Sara’s husband Matt loses his job and every shred of his confidence with it, she knows it’s up to her to bring the family back from the brink. Though she doesn’t know where she can possibly find the money they need to keep afloat.Until her boss at work offers her a deal. He’ll help out. She just has to do him one little favour. But could trusting him save Sara’s family, or will it be a mistake that costs her absolutely everything?This year’s most gripping psychological thriller – perfect for fans of My Lovely Wife, The Girl on the Train, and Something in the Water.
Run Away Baby
Holly Tierney-Bedord - 2015
What her jealous friends don't know is that her reality is far from the pretty picture they see."If you like stories about rebirth and taking your life back, mixed with suspense and even a bit of humor, this book is for you!!"-- Amazon reviewWhen her nails were dry enough, Abby put the spinning tower and manicure accessories away and then returned to the living room where a mid-afternoon talk show was playing. She sat down, nudging the mute button, so if Randall watched the playback of her he would see the program unfolding in the background. As far as she knew, the room wasn't bugged. Not yet, anyhow.Sometimes all the noise became too much for her to bear. She liked to go into her own head. It was the last safe place. But acts like pausing a show to daydream made Randall nervous."What's this about?" he'd ask as he fast-forwarded through moments of Abby's day, pausing at incriminating moments like her staring thoughtfully without distractions, or eating junk food, or disappearing for hours and arriving home empty-handed.Only Krissa had an accurate idea of Abby's life. But even Krissa didn't know Abby's secret name for Randall: He was Papa Rottzy. Because he watched every move she made. And because he was old. And because he was rotten. It was the name she would have called him if she still had a sister, and if this were her sister's problem instead of her own.She'd take her sister out for coffee and ask her, "How's Papa Rottzy? Are you ready to escape from his prison?" She'd be kidding, but she'd be serious.In Abby's fantasies it was always her trying to help one of her little sisters out of this mess, because there was a big part of her that still couldn't believe this was her life.
Intention
C.S. Barnes - 2019
An irritant to her father and a concern to her mother, Gillian’s home life is less than ideal.Geraldine, Gillian’s mother, has suffered abuse from Joe for years. However, it is not until Joe dies that the family dynamic shifts and Gillian starts out on her own dark journey…When Gillian meets Paul and Daniel she starts to become the person she always knew she was. And as people around her start dying Gillian faces scrutiny from her mother.
But are the deaths accidents or is something more sinister at work?
C.S. Barnes' Intention is set to be one of 2019's stand-out debuts. A dark and compelling psychological thriller, it will appeal to fans of authors like; Lisa Jewell, S.E. Lynes, Theresa Driscoll.