Book picks similar to
Living the Dream by M.J. Hardy


psychological-thriller
mum-recommendations
too-perfect
on-hold

Liars


Frances Vick - 2018
    He’d do anything for you. But you don’t even know him.Jenny hasn’t had an easy life – no job and no money, with a sick mother and an abusive ex-stepfather. Not that anybody cares, she’s from the wrong side of town.David has taken care of Jenny ever since they were at school together. He knows how special she is, how much she needs his support. David has a lot of love to give.Jenny and David aren’t in a relationship. They aren’t even friends.Jenny thinks she’s free to do what she wants, see who she likes. What does David think? Well, you’ll have to find out.A gripping psychological thriller about the lies we tell ourselves, perfect for fans of Friend Request, The Couple Next Door and Teresa Driscoll.

89


Stuart Keane - 2016
    When his agent requires him to step in as a last-minute replacement for a fellow writer at a lucrative book convention in Sheffield, Greg reluctantly accepts. With only hours to get there, he boards a red-eye coach for the 89-mile trip. With nine hours ahead of him, solitude and silence his only companions, he settles in for the overnight journey. However, the journey doesn’t go according to plan. After a few miles, a woman boards the bus and, despite the coach being empty, takes the seat next to Greg. The woman is a self-proclaimed fan, a bookworm, someone who has followed his work since the early days. Initially flattered by the attention, Greg soon becomes aware of the woman's alternative agenda, one that slowly twists casual conversation into something a lot more sinister…

His Kidnapper's Shoes


Maggie James - 2013
    He has always been mine. And he always will be. On some level deep inside, Laura Bateman knows something is wrong. That her relationship with her son is not what it should be. That it is based on lies.But bad things have happened to Laura. Things that change a person. Forever.For twenty-six-year-old Daniel, the discovery that his mother is not who he thought comes close to destroying him. As his world turns upside down, he searches for sanity in the madness that has become his life. Daniel is left with nothing but questions. Why did Laura do something so terrible? Can he move past the demons of his childhood?And the biggest question of all: can he ever forgive Laura? Revised edition: This edition of His Kidnapper's Shoes includes editorial revisions.

The Lies We Hide


S.E. Lynes - 2019
    At ten years old, she didn’t yet understand why her stomach tightened when she heard her father’s heavy tread as he returned home late at night, or why it made her brother Graham’s stammer get worse, or why one night her mother Carol woke them both, wide-eyed and whispering, and took them out of their home and into the unknown. Now a successful lawyer in the city, with a life poles apart from her dark beginnings, Nicola has returned home for her mother’s funeral. But as she stands in her mother’s house, remembering the woman who sacrificed everything for her children, Nicola has to confront the guilt that she feels for leaving her family behind. And the belief that she played a part in the events that led to her brother going to prison for murder. All Carol wanted was to protect her children, but escaping her husband was only the beginning of the story. And when Nicola learns the truth of what her mother did, it will change everything she thought she knew about herself and her family. A gripping, emotional story of family secrets, and the strength of a mother’s love in the darkest times.

Hello, My Name is May


Rosalind Stopps - 2019
    Hello, it said, my name is May. Please talk to me.May has been moved to a care home after her stroke. She can’t communicate, all her words are kept inside. If she tries to point, her arms swing in wild directions, if she tries to talk, strange noises come out of her mouth.May is sharp, quick, and funny, but only her daughter Jenny sees this, and Jackie, a new friend at the home who cares enough to look and listen closely.When May discovers that someone very familiar, from long ago, is living in the room opposite hers she is haunted by scenes from her earlier life, when she was a prisoner of her husband’s unpredictable rages. Bill, the man in the opposite room seems so much like her husband, though almost a lifetime has passed, and May’s eyesight isn’t what it was.As Bill charms his way through the nursing home, he focuses his romantic attention on Jackie, while all May can do is watch. She is determined to protect Jackie and keep herself safe, but what can she do in her vulnerable, silent state?

The Girls in the Garden


Lisa Jewell - 2015
    Implicitly.You think your children are safe.But are they really?Midsummer night: a thirteen-year-old girl is found unconscious in a dark corner of the garden square. What really happened to her? And who is responsible?

I Am The Lion


Rachelle Lauro - 2019
    Now they’ll turn deadly . . . Reclusive novelist Eugenia writes a bestselling novel under the pen name Amy Mathews. Her outgoing older sister serves as the face of the fictitious writer. It’s a lucrative partnership that landed Amy Mathews literary fame and fortune . . . until now.Virginia wants more books, but Amy Mathews is pretty much dead to Eugenia. She dreams of overcoming her social phobias and writing under her own name. She wants to get out of the house. But Eugenia soon discovers that it’s not that easy to put down the pen. In fact, it could very well turn deadly . . . For fans of complex characters and subtle plots turns in the best tradition of psychological thrillers, comes this stirring and twisty tale that will leave you wondering – just exactly what defines a villain?This smart and twisty thriller that is equal parts terrifying and profound will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

Hurry Home


Roz Nay - 2020
    And it could cost you everything.Alexandra Van Ness has the perfect life. She lives in an idyllic resort town tucked away in the Rocky Mountains, shares a designer loft with her handsome boyfriend, Chase, and has her dream job working in child protection. Every day, Alex goes above and beyond to save children at risk.But when her long-lost sister, Ruth, unexpectedly shows up at her door, Alex's perfect life is upended. Growing up, Ruth was always the troublemaker, pulling Alex into her messes, and this time will be no different. Still, Alex will help Ruth under one condition: we will never, ever, talk about the past. But when a local child goes missing, both women are forced to confront the secrets they've promised to keep buried.Utterly engrossing and claustrophobic, Hurry Home is a tantalizing reflection of the chain-and-shackles relationship between sisters that asks: what lines wouldn't you cross for your own?

Found


Erin Kinsley - 2019
    But months later Evan is unexpectedly found, frightened and refusing to speak. His loving family realise life will never be the same again.DI Naylor knows that unless those who took Evan are caught, other children are in danger. And with Evan silent, she must race against time to find those responsible...A gripping, heart-wrenching thriller with the emotional power of series like BROADCHURCH and THE MISSING, this is the perfect read for fans of Cara Hunter, Heidi Perks, Claire Douglas, Fiona Barton, Susie Steiner and Nuala Ellwood.

When She Was Bad


Tammy Cohen - 2016
    But their comfortable routine life is suddenly shattered when an aggressive new boss walks in ....Now, there's something chilling in the air.Who secretly hates everyone?Who is tortured by their past?Who is capable of murder?

The Escape Room


Megan Goldin - 2019
    Your goal is simple. Get out alive.In the lucrative world of finance, Vincent, Jules, Sylvie, and Sam are at the top of their game. They’ve mastered the art of the deal and celebrate their success in style―but a life of extreme luxury always comes at a cost.Invited to participate in an escape room challenge as a team-building exercise, the ferociously competitive co-workers crowd into the elevator of a high-rise building, eager to prove themselves. But when the lights go off and the doors stay shut, it quickly becomes clear that this is no ordinary competition: they’re caught in a dangerous game of survival.Trapped in the dark, the colleagues must put aside their bitter rivalries and work together to solve cryptic clues to break free. But as the game begins to reveal the team’s darkest secrets, they realize there’s a price to be paid for the terrible deeds they committed in their ruthless climb up the corporate ladder. As tempers fray, and the clues turn deadly, they must solve one final chilling puzzle: which one of them will kill in order to survive?

What You've Done


J.A. Schneider - 2020
    She investigates and finds herself the killer's next target.Grieving the loss of her NYPD detective husband, former defense attorney Mia Peale moves to Grand Cove, Connecticut, desperate for a sense of community and hoping to rebuild her life. Now, starting a family law practice, she's finally found friends and peace - until the teen daughter of one of her clients is brutally murdered, and the girl's boyfriend stands accused.Kelly Payne was an adored high school track star. Brian Hall is a poor boy in a rich town, and the community is outraged. But Mia has known Brian since her arrival and can't believe he's guilty, despite strong circumstantial evidence against him. As his defense turns lackluster, she asks Grand Cove police detective Jay Colter for help. Jay is also skeptical of the police and DA's case and takes them on, especially when Mia's friend from her former Manhattan law firm uncovers a frighteningly similar murder in the city. Secretly, Jay helps Mia investigate both murders, but his alarm grows as her life is threatened by a maniac hiding among them.

The Babysitter


Sheryl Browne - 2018
    Would you trust her with your life? Mark and Melissa Cain are thrilled to have found Jade, a babysitter who is brilliant with their young children. Having seen her own house burn to the ground, Jade needs them as much as they need her. Moving Jade into the family home can only be a good thing, can’t it? As Mark works long hours as a police officer and Melissa struggles with running a business, the family become ever more reliant on their babysitter, who is only too happy to help. And as Melissa begins to slip into depression, it’s Jade who is left picking up the pieces. But Mark soon notices things aren’t quite as they seem. Things at home feel wrong, and as Mark begins to investigate their seemingly perfect sitter, what he discovers shocks him to his core. He’s met Jade before. And now he suspects he might know what she wants … Mark is in a race against time to protect his family. But what will he find as he goes back to his family home?

The New Girl


Ruth Heald - 2022
    I was wrong…When I moved to a city where no one knew me, clutching only a small bag of possessions, I really believed that I had left my old life—and my darkest secret— behind.Within weeks, I landed my dream job, a gorgeous flat and the perfect boyfriend in James. For the first time in years, with him, I started to feel I could finally trust people again. I began to feel safe.But now strange things have started to happen. Odd noises in the night, the constant feeling that someone is lingering at my door. James convinces me that I’m imagining things. But when I find a beautiful dress hidden behind the wardrobe and wear it to work, the atmosphere chills instantly. I can’t help but wonder, is there something, or someone they’re hiding from me?Then she appears at my door. The girl before me. She tells me that I need to leave; that the new life I thought I’d built for myself is all a twisted trap…And my whole world tilts… because if what she says is true, what’s going to happen to me?

The Marriage Lie


Kimberly Belle - 2016
    But on the morning Will leaves for a business trip to Orlando, Iris's happy world comes to an abrupt halt. Another plane headed for Seattle has crashed into a field, killing everyone on board, and according to the airline, Will was one of the passengers on this plane. Grief-stricken and confused, Iris is convinced it all must be a huge misunderstanding. But as time passes and there is still no sign of Will, she reluctantly accepts that he is gone. Still, Iris needs answers. Why did Will lie about where he was going? What is in Seattle? And what else has he lied about? As Iris sets off on a desperate quest to find out what her husband was keeping from her, the answers she receives will shock her to her very core.