I read a lot of suspense novels, but I’m not sure it’s my favorite genre. There is plenty of mediocrity amidst the gems, including some shamefully misogynistic women writers. (Tarryn Fisher and Shari Lapena, I’m looking at you.) What I do know, however, is that when I love a book to the moon and back, it is most often in this genre. I’m a bit in awe of writers who can command my full attention from start to finish with a steady page-turning pace and an ending that feels right for the story.
So with that in mind, here is my list of the five best suspense novels of the last five years.
5.
Late at night in Lubbock, Cait picks a woman up from a safe house. As they drive through the desolate landscape, they become aware that a truck is following them. We know from the prologue that there will be a standoff in the desert, but we don’t know why.
In flashback, we learn about the two women and the events that got them to this fateful ride together. Both of the women’s backstories are compelling and topical. The mounting tension of the truck behind them builds the suspense until it is impossible to put the book down.
I have also read Jessica Barry’s Freefall and thoroughly enjoyed it. Definitely an author I will try again.
4.
Mickey is a beat cop in a neighborhood in Philadelphia. Her sister is a homeless addict. They were raised by their grandmother after their mother died from drugs. A string of murders lay bare the dark underbelly of the opioid crisis.
In addition to being atmospheric and a good mystery, I genuinely cared about the characters, which is not often the case in this genre. It’s partly that Moore is an excellent stylist and can draw characters through small details and inference. But there is also a grit and reality to Mickey’s struggle that is relatable on a bigger scale.
3.
A woman, Vanessa, is stalking the young fiancee of her ex-husband all around New York City. The new girl, Nellie, is a kindergarten teacher and part-time waitress living with a roommate, Sam. Vanessa lives with an elderly aunt and has a part-time job at Saks. Nellie is originally from Florida and is hiding from dark memories there.
This is edge-of-your-seat suspense. The twists are great and seamless. I liked the fact that the women weren’t infatuated with Richard, their shared guy. Despite the stalking, there was a stronger feminist message here than I have come to expect from this genre.
There are some loose ends, such a subplot about Vanessa’s German shephard which is never resolved. (I’m a cat person so it didn’t do much for me.) Overall, though, this is one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in the last few years.
2.
At their therapist’s request, Adam and Amelia drive to Scotland for a weekend to work on their ten-year marriage. Amelia, a dog rescuer, has won an office raffle for a weekend in a fifth-century church. A snowstorm hits as they approach, and they are creeped out by the lodging. Amelia sees a pair of eyes staring at her through the kitchen window. Adam accidentally locks Amelia in a cellar when the lights go out.
Between the chilling scenes in Scotland, the reader is shown letters that Amelia has written to Adam once a year for their anniversary. Through them, we see a union slowly breaking down to the point that it’s possible they want to murder each other. This is a tantalizing palate cleanser between the Scottish antics.
I was hooked from the beginning and couldn’t wait to see how it ended. I’m giving this a slight edge over the author’s also excellent Sometimes I Lie.
There are quite a few books that attempt to recreate Hitchcock’s famous Rear Window, and A.J. Finn knocks it out of the park with this tightly-plotted page-turner. I read it over a Sunday, barely able to get up for a drink of water between chapters. It was both riveting and surprising.
Annie lives alone in a brownstone in Morningside Heights, between Harlem and Columbia University. She is agoraphobic from an unnamed trauma, and spends most of her evenings drinking wine and watching classic noir movies. A neighbor boy, Ethan, stops by one day to visit, followed later by his mother.
A few days later, Annie hears a scream and thinks she sees Ethan’s mother stabbed in the brownstone opposite hers. Ethan and his father deny it, and the police believe them.
There are probably a dozen twists and I only figured out one of them. I was dismayed to learn in a New Yorker article that the author has been accused of stealing this idea from a manuscript he reviewed while an editor at a major publishing house. I’m not sure who to give the credit to for this masterful novel, but I loved it.
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