Book picks similar to
One Bad Thing by M.K. Hill


netgalley
thriller
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psychological-fiction

Truth Games


Caroline England - 2020
    She tries hard to be the perfect mother, the perfect partner, the perfect daughter - but she can't always seem to get it right.When an old friend from university re-enters their lives, dark memories from Ellie's past begin to resurface. Memories that have been buried for a long time.As Ellie starts to unravel some shocking and sinister realities, she realises that she must choose between keeping the family she loves - and facing the truth.

Every Step You Take


Avery Lane - 2018
    For the first time in her life, she’s without her overbearing mother, extroverted roommates, and most recently, her controlling husband Evan. After a lifetime of damaging relationships, she’s finally found the courage to begin her own life. But then came the hand-scrawled note under her door. We’re never really alone. Suddenly, Riley finds her peaceful independence turning upside down. Items go missing in her home. Mysterious figures follow her in the shadows. And just like that, Riley realizes she’s being watched. But by whom? Evan is the obvious culprit but Riley can’t rule out her paranoid, overprotective mother. There’s also the handsome new stranger who works in her building who knows more about Riley than she’s ever told, and her soon-to-be newlywed clients whose image of perfection is crumbling into something dark and toxic right before Riley’s eyes. There are far too many suspects in Riley’s new life of independence, and at this point, she has no idea who she can trust. All she knows is that somewhere out there, someone doesn’t want her to be alone…

The Perfect Couple


Jackie Kabler - 2020
    Since then, their relationship has been like something out of a dream. But one Friday evening, Gemma returns home to find Danny is nowhere to be seen.After two days with no word from her husband, Gemma turns to the police. She is horrified with what she discovers – a serial killer is on the loose in Bristol. When she sees the photos of the victims she is even more stunned…the victims all look just like Danny.But, the detectives aren’t convinced by Gemma’s story. Why has no one apart from Gemma seen or heard from Danny in weeks? Why is there barely a trace of him in their flat? Is she telling them the truth, or are there more secrets and lies in this marriage than meets the eye?

The Guilty Sister


Arianne Richmonde - 2021
    And the police think I’m to blame.We haven’t always seen eye to eye, but I do love my sister Cece. She’s confident and free-spirited in a way I never am. And while she’s living her life to the full and posting it all over social media, I’m having early nights in my tiny New York apartment.I didn’t mean to keep her a secret from my boyfriend, Bradley. But when he found out about her and I caught him scrolling through her pictures online, I knew I had to act before she ruined my life once again.When the police come knocking at my door, I instantly regret wishing Cece would leave my life for good.I didn’t want her to vanish forever, did I?If you enjoy gripping psychological thrillers like The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl and The Wife Between Us, you will love this totally addictive novel from a USA Today bestselling author.(Previously titled: One Happy Family)

The House Swap


Rebecca Fleet - 2018
    But she knows why they are there. Be careful who you let in...A house swap becomes the eerie backdrop to a crumbling marriage, a long-buried affair, and the fatal consequences that unfold.When Caroline and Francis receive an offer to house swap--from their city apartment to a house in a leafy, upscale London suburb--they jump at the chance for a week away from home, their son, and the tensions that have pushed their marriage to the brink.As the couple settles in, the old problems that permeate their marriage--his unhealthy behaviors, her indiscretions--start bubbling to the surface. But while they attempt to mend their relationship, their neighbor, an intense young woman, is showing a little too much interest in their activities.Meanwhile, Caroline slowly begins to uncover some signs of life in the stark house--signs of her life. The flowers in the bathroom or the music might seem innocent to anyone else--but to her they are clues. It seems the person they have swapped with is someone who knows her, someone who knows the secrets she's desperate to forget. . . .Be careful who you let in. . .

The Wedding Murders


Sarah Linley - 2022
    A celebrity wedding in a grand manor house in the beautiful English countryside.But then one guest goes missing.And another almost dies.Someone at this wedding will do anything to stop their dark secrets from being exposed.You might not live to tell the tale…

Unmissing


Minka Kent - 2022
    That dream ends with a late-night knock on the door.Weak, broken, and emaciated, it’s Luca’s first wife, Lydia. Missing for ten years, presumed dead, and very much alive, she has quite a story. Her kidnapping. A torturous confinement that should’ve ended with her dead. And finally, escape. Racked with guilt over the beautiful life they’ve built, Merritt and Luca agree to help get Lydia back on her feet—it’s the least they can do.But the more enmeshed Lydia becomes in Merritt’s family, the more questions Merritt has. What is it about Lydia that’s especially unnerving? Why hasn’t she gone to the police with her harrowing tale? What does she really want of them? The answers, when they come, are terrifying.Because Lydia isn’t the only one with secrets.

The Parents


Claire Seeber - 2021
    But it’s not long before I realise: I should have never made friends with them…I knew it wouldn’t be easy for my kids to adjust when we moved to a tiny village where they didn’t know a soul. But after the death of my husband, we needed a fresh start.Suddenly, we’re outsiders. I know the only way we’ll be accepted is if I throw myself into my new life, so when my son joins a local club, I volunteer to help along with the other parents.Before moving here, I didn’t know people like this really existed; their lives seem too perfect to be real. Although my own life couldn’t be more different, they welcome me into the fold. For the first time since my husband died, I feel like I made the right decision for my family…That is until I overhear something that tells me these other parents aren’t as perfect as they seem. Something that turns my world upside down again.My secret has already ruined my life once. I thought the truth had died with my husband… I should have known that it wouldn’t be buried for long.A completely addictive page-turner about the secrets and lies hiding beneath seemingly perfect lives. Fans of Big Little Lies, Lisa Jewell and Louise Candlish will be absolutely hooked by this pacey read with a jaw-dropping twist you just won’t see coming.

The House of Hidden Secrets


C.E. Rose - 2021
    As Serena and 4-year-old Lana walked up the long driveway, little did they know the dark secrets that lay within.When Serena Green accepted the role of housekeeper for wealthy widower Hayden Ramsay, she never imagined her new home would be Ramsay Hall, an ancient, sprawling mansion in Northern England.Serena quickly becomes an integral part of the household, making friends with Hayden’s younger son Hugh, despite Jack, his older brother’s, coldness towards her and Lana.But the hall’s beautiful exterior hides many ugly secrets. Though Serena and Jack begin to grow closer, she’s confused by his behaviour around Lana. What is he guilty of? And is there more to their mother’s death than the Ramsay men will admit, even to themselves?As the harrowing past of Ramsay Hall unravels, Serena fresh start becomes a fresh horror. She fears for her and Lana’s safety, but what are the bleak secrets in Serena’s own past?This house is built on a lifetime of lies… and the truth might just bring the walls crashing down.A twisty, gripping and utterly unputdownable new thriller that fans of Lisa Jewell, C.L. Taylor and Mark Edwards will love.

Dark Corners


Darren O'Sullivan - 2020
    Neve has never recovered and promised herself she’d never go back to that place. But secrets can come back to haunt you When Neve receives news that her first boyfriend Jamie has gone missing, she’s forced to return. Jamie has vanished without a trace in a disappearance that echoes the events of all those years ago. Somebody is watching and will stop at nothing until the truth about what took place that night is revealed …–––––––––––––––––––––––––Praise for Darren O’Sullivan:‘A compelling, dark brooding thriller that packs a punch’ John Marrs‘Brilliantly dark, sinister and twisted’ Lisa Hall‘An intense novel full of secrets, lies and suspense that I thoroughly enjoyed unravelling’ Mel Sherratt‘Creepy and atmospheric’ Louise Jensen‘Engrossing, compelling and twisty from the first page to the shocking ending’ Michele Campbell'This twisty psychological thriller will chill you to the bones' Gemma Metcalfe‘A stellar and original concept, brilliantly executed. The final chapters had my heart in my throat! ’ Phoebe Morgan

The Bride


Wendy Clarke - 2020
     We used to speak on the phone every day. Growing up I spent more time at her house than I did at my own. I’d always imagined what it would be like to see her get married, and now I didn’t even know her fiancé’s name. She asked me to come and meet Mark and I intended to tell her to slow down. You can’t know someone for a month and be sure that you want to spend the rest of your lives together. When I got to Joanna’s front door, only Mark was there. He was charming and gorgeous and nothing but nice to me, and I started to understand. And then he told me that Joanna was missing.

I Know What I Saw


S.K. Sharp - 2020
    She understands nothing.Only a handful of people in the world have a truly perfect memory. Nicola is one of them.With her condition proving to be more of a curse than a blessing, she has spent years trying to live a quiet life.But a body has been found, a discovery that threatens to tear the community apart.Nicola remembers the night with perfect clarity, but she never discovered the truth of what happened.Now she must use her ability to solve the murder from decades agoAnd save the man she loved from being wrongly convicted of the crime.

The Honeymoon


Rona Halsall - 2019
    We’re a partnership now and we do what’s best for us as a couple. Staying here is going to be the best option.’ He picked up his drink and took a sip. ‘It’s not open for discussion. We’re not going home.’ Chloe had the dream wedding. Dan is her perfect man. They haven’t known each other for long, but as she walked down the aisle and saw him standing by the altar, tears glistening in his eyes, she knew this was forever. Later, as they relax on a beautiful island, settling in to their new married life together, they congratulate themselves on their lovely wedding day, and Dan jokes that he’d like them to stay there forever. But as the honeymoon goes on, he becomes increasingly adamant. They shouldn’t leave. In fact, he won’t let her… An utterly gripping psychological thriller for fans of Gillian Flynn, Clare Mackintosh, and The Wife Between Us.

What She Witnessed


Cole Baxter - 2021
    She keeps a close eye on Dan, and not just because of what’s happened to her.She has reasons that are more genetic than environmental. Dan, like his grandmother, is a sociopath: manipulative, impulsive, and almost remorseless.Intensive therapy has helped him and his mother a great deal, but she has always worried that he is a ticking time bomb whose impulsiveness and lack of empathy will lead him straight to jail.So, when Dan’s girlfriend goes missing after the two get blackout drunk on a date and Dan believes that he may have killed her, Kelly scrambles to cover for him.But his vindictive grandmother has other plans and no qualms about lying to get what she wants.A desperate mother willing to take any steps to protect her son must face a grandmother with no conscience in the ultimate battle over the life of Daniel and be prepared to suffer the consequences.

When She Disappeared


Steph Mullin - 2022
    That evening, she rode her bike into the forest and disappeared…into thin air.’Margo hasn’t been back to Lake Moss since her school friend went missing. But as she returns, running from a failed marriage, the news breaks. Her hometown’s swimming hole has been Jessie’s grave for fifteen years.Digging out her old diary, and steeling herself to face unfriendly ghosts of the past, Margo sets out to help a documentary crew as they investigate the infamous case the police bungled.In a town where everyone knows everyone – but they all have secrets – the killer is certain to be close to home…