Everyone who isn’t a twin is likely fascinated by twins. Can they really communicate telepathically? If they separate at birth, how similar will they become? Do twins ever trade places and live each other’s lives? Even the concept of “evil twins” has been around for ages — and who doesn’t have the image of the twins from The Shining at the front of their mind at the mention of it?
We are all curious about the psychology of two people who are deeply connected. This list of books about twins will intrigue, disturb and compel you. These 7 thrillers are filled with murderous, secretive, betraying and identity-stealing twins.
Her Perfect Twin by Sarah Bonner
Jealousy turns to murder when one twin has everything the other wants. Estranged twins Megan and Leah don’t have much in common. So when Megan discovers photos of her identical twin on her husband’s phone, she is right to question his fidelity and honesty. Leah already has fame, fortune and freedom, so why does she want to take her sister’s husband too?
And when the confrontation turns to murder, what better way to cover it up than to take the other twin’s place? Lockdown begins and makes the entire endeavor more complicated. How long can this secret stay under wraps? And what happens when the truth comes out? Her Perfect Twin is a psychological thriller full of plot twists, complex characters and dark schemes.
Identical by Scott Turow
Paul is a state senator, on track to be elected as Mayor. His twin brother Cass is nothing like him. Newly released from prison after serving 25 years as a result of pleading guilty to the murder of his girlfriend, he’s ready to begin his life again. But the brother of the murdered woman has a different idea. He believes the twins were co-conspirators and is ready to implicate the soon-to-be mayor with this claim.
A defamation lawsuit doesn’t slow this accusation, and the private investigator on the case begins searching for the truth, all these years later. This legal thriller weaves a complex yarn of murder, sex, betrayal and identical twins as the truth begins to unravel.
Free Rider by Janet Porter
Twin sisters who have lost both parents come of age in a seemingly idyllic atmosphere. But the evil that lurks behind that manicured façade threatens to engulf them both until one of the girls, driven to the edge of madness and beyond, decides to act to save them both. Nineteen-year-old Violet and her twin sister Khalika discover that their stepparents, who are currently living in the posh estate the sisters grew up in, have been brutally murdered.
Their stepparents are described as “petty grifters,” involved in everything from child pornography to strip clubs. They owed loan sharks lots of money, but would loan sharks kill someone who still had a debt?
These murders are not the only ones that remain unsolved, and there are signs that point to one killer. It has taken several months, but a determined Detective follows the investigation and eventually locates Violet, whom he wants to question. Free Rider is a complex psychological study of two sisters, their slightly different paths, their inner thoughts and their resultant actions.
Read BookTrib’s review and check out this interview with the author.
Beside Myself by Ann Morgan
At six years old, Ellie and Helen switch places as a game. Helen is the favorite daughter, who is smarter and more popular, while Ellie needs extra help at school, has no friends and is constantly punished. So when they switch places, Ellie refuses to switch back. She wants to live as Helen and reap the benefits of living her twin’s life.
As an adult, Helen has lost her sense of self because her sister has taken her identity. She faces the repercussions of this game as behavioral problems and mental illness overcome her. Helen even doubts her own memory of the switch, until years later when she receives a call threatening to expose the switch and put her back in her sister’s life. Is she ready to face the past and set the truth free, no matter the cost?
The Second Son by Martin Jay Weiss
A product called Stalker is the ultimate transparency app that uses advanced search technology to track down anybody’s whereabouts. It makes stalking easy, accessible and affordable — and helps people discover betrayals, prevent deceptions and reveal anyone who might be double-crossing them.
Ethan and his twin brother Jack built the app with high hopes of financial success. But when Jack bails to join Stalker’s biggest competitor, and Ethan’s girlfriend flees, Ethan wonders if he really knows them at all. Left with haunting suspicions about the timing of both betrayals, Ethan isn’t sure if it is just a coincidence. Did the two run off together? There’s one way to find out. Ethan turns to the product he invented for just such a purpose, trying to trace the movements and motivations of the two people he held closest.
Read BookTrib’s review here.
The Girl in the Mirror by Rose Carlyle
Summer and Iris want what the other has, and aren’t afraid to go to extreme lengths to make it happen. When the twins’ father leaves $100 million to the first of his children to produce an heir, the competition is on. On a yacht sailing across the Indian Ocean, Iris gets her chance to take the upper hand. Summer has disappeared, and now her perfect husband Adam mistakes Iris for his wife. Finally, Iris is able to see what it is like to live the perfect life her sister has, and she’s not about to give it up that easily.
How far will she go to keep the truth concealed? And what really happened to Summer? The Girl in the Mirror explores greed, the cost of the truth, and the dangers of jealousy.
The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth
Rose and Fern are twin sisters: Rose is the responsible one, married with a white picket fence and a seemingly perfect life while her sister Fern is a bit unusual. She works at the local library and keeps a strict routine to help with the sensory processing issues that set her apart from most people. She relies on Rose to keep her in line, but will never forget the one time Rose wasn’t able to do so…
A tumultuous childhood has led the twins to carry a sinister secret together. Rose has looked out for Fern their entire lives, so when Fern learns that Rose can’t have a baby she decides she will pay her back by finding a man, making a baby and giving it to her sister. When this task brings dark secrets from their childhood to the surface, the sisters are at odds. This twisted novel brings up questions and doubts, as readers try and figure out which characters they can trust.
Read the review from BookNationbyJen on BookTrib.
