Most people love thrillers because of the heart-pounding, edge of your seat adrenaline ride that they offer, along with the satisfaction of using our natural curiosity to solve a mystery. While it’s the plot that gets us to pick up the book in the first place, it’s the stories that make us look inward that really connect us to the characters. We see ourselves in their place and wonder what would we do? How would this particular situation define us and reveal our true selves?
That was how I came up with the idea for my new novel, The Aunt. A story about two sisters whose sibling rivalry and competitiveness leads to their estrangement. Amy is the maternal older sister who always follows the rules, while her younger sister, Lexi, is the perpetual screw up. As life would have it, it is Lexi who is rewarded by the universe with a successful husband, all the money she could have dreamed of and a brand-new baby. Amy, on the other hand, is separated from her husband and on the verge of financial ruin from countless failed IVF treatments. But now Lexi and her husband are dead, and Amy inherits everything she always thought she wanted, only to realize that she’d give it all up to have her sister back.
It’s the type of narrative that makes us look at ourselves in the mirror. It forces us to view the strained relationships in our own lives against our loved ones. Is it worth the sacrifice just to be right? How many of our grudges are misunderstandings that could’ve been resolved with proper communication? If that person died tomorrow, would we regret the petty things we argued over? It’s the type of storyline that forces us to admit our own vulnerabilities and insecurities and reevaluate what’s important.
If you’re like me and love a good adrenaline rush that can still pull on your heartstrings, here are my top five thrillers that will make you look inward.
The Anniversary by Alex Finlay
May 12, 2026
When you write a novel that only takes place one day a year over ten years, you think that you’ll miss a lot of the characters growth, but Finlay executes this perfectly without readers missing a beat. What would happen if you were attacked by a serial killer, but for some reason they spared you? As the person still remains at large and continues coming back every May to claim his victims, how do you move on when survivor’s guilt has taken over? Why you? And would he ever try to come back after you again? These are the questions that plague Finlay’s protagonist, Jules, the lone survivor of the May Day Killer. Over a span of ten years, we revisit the trauma and effect that it has had on Jules’ life and her journey to not only trying to catch this killer, but her path to healing as well.
Keep Them Close by David Ellis
June 30, 2026
When Allison’s husband Finely is found murdered, the investigation threatens to expose a dark secret with Allison and her brother Luke. This book explores lies and betrayal but also the love of two siblings who would kill for each other, if they don’t kill each other first. It deals with fractured families and how as siblings we know the best ways to hurt one another. It’s a story that explores the relationship dynamics that form when dealing with toxic parental behaviors and what we do to try to survive them. This complex web of lies was so intriguing that I flew through this book.
All Her Fault by Andrea Mara
July 22, 2021
This book is about every parent’s worst nightmare. When Marissa connects with a fellow mom she knows for a playdate after school, it seems like the most harmless thing ever. That is until Marissa goes to pick up her son at the address she was given and not only is he not there, but neither is the family that her son Milo was supposed to go home with.
This compelling story taps into our parental guilt. Wouldn’t we have done the same thing without thinking anything of it? If you are too overprotective how does your child gain their independence, but at the same time, what if the worst thing that could ever happen, does? In a world where parenting doesn’t come with an instruction manual, we are constantly doubting ourselves and worry if we are doing what’s best for our children.
Dead in the Water by John Marrs
January 20, 2026
After Damon survives a near drowning, he relives a moment that he has never remembered before involving a dead boy. He knows he knows this boy, but he doesn’t know how. It’s a story that makes us question ourselves as humans. If you are the hero in your own story, then what narrative do you tell yourself so you can believe it? How truthful are our own memories and can we rely on ourselves to remember every detail or only the ones that put us in a good light?
The Expat Affair by Kimberly Belle
June 3, 2025
Willow is married into a wealthy and powerful family, but her life is upended when her husband’s former employee is found dead, and Rayna, the woman he had a one-night stand with, is on the run after millions of dollars’ worth of diamonds go missing from his safe and she is the main suspect.
Willow, who had moved from the states to Amsterdam for marriage, has to protect her special needs child. But she knows that Rayna is innocent and, as an expat like herself, is all alone on this side of the world. Where do our loyalties lie when it comes to doing the right thing? Would you go up against your powerful family and risk the well-being of your child to help a stranger?
