Have you read Belinda Bauer? Her books are crime novels. Many take place in the quiet countryside. But don’t be fooled. These settings often hide dark secrets. She builds suspense well.
Think about *Blacklands* with its child narrator and a decades-old crime, or maybe *Snap* and the mystery of the woman gone missing. Her characters feel very real, even when they are flawed.
If you enjoy books like hers, you may be on the lookout for authors with a similar approach.
Tana French writes crime fiction that focuses on deeply layered characters and psychological tension.
Her book “In the Woods” follows Detective Rob Ryan, who investigates the murder of a young girl in the same woods where, years earlier, two of his childhood friends disappeared without a trace.
Rob has no memory of what happened back then, but the current case forces him to face parts of his past he’d rather avoid.
French weaves a story filled with secrets and a haunting sense of unresolved events, drawing readers into the world of a detective who isn’t as put-together as he seems.
Sharon Bolton writes crime and psychological thrillers that keep you guessing. One of her books, “Daisy in Chains,” follows Hamish Wolfe, a convicted serial killer who insists he’s innocent. He’s charismatic and popular, but evidence points to his guilt.
Maggie Rose, a true-crime writer and lawyer, reluctantly agrees to look into his case. As she digs deeper, she uncovers layers of lies and half-truths.
The twists in this story keep the tension high, and the characters are written with a sharpness that makes them impossible to ignore. If you enjoy intense, character-driven mysteries, Sharon Bolton’s books are worth picking up.
Liz Nugent writes dark, character-driven stories that pull you into the minds of deeply flawed individuals. Her book “Unraveling Oliver” begins with Oliver, a successful author, confessing to a violent act against his wife.
The story unwinds his life, revealing why he snapped and the secrets he worked hard to keep hidden. It’s not just about the crime but about the layers of deceit and broken relationships that led to it.
Nugent builds tension by letting different characters share their perspectives, which adds depth to Oliver’s chilling story.
Paula Hawkins is a writer who creates sharp and tense thrillers. One of her well-known books, “The Girl on the Train,” follows Rachel, a woman who takes the same train every day and watches a couple from her window.
She imagines their perfect lives until one day she sees something shocking. As Rachel becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth, her own messy life pulls her deeper into the mystery. The story moves between characters’ perspectives, keeping you hooked as secrets come to light.
If you like dark mysteries with flawed but fascinating characters, Paula Hawkins might grab your attention.
Gillian Flynn writes dark, twisty novels that dig into the messier parts of human relationships. One of her most well-known books, “Gone Girl,” tells the story of Nick and Amy, a married couple whose lives unravel when Amy disappears on their fifth wedding anniversary.
The book alternates between Nick’s perspective and Amy’s eerie diary entries, painting two very different pictures of their marriage. As the story unfolds, secrets come to light, and the truth becomes harder to pin down.
It’s an intense and unpredictable ride that keeps readers guessing.
Ruth Ware writes twisty mystery thrillers with dark settings and unpredictable characters. Her book, “The Woman in Cabin 10,” is about a travel journalist who boards a luxurious cruise ship for an assignment.
One night, she hears what sounds like someone being thrown overboard, but no one believes her because all the passengers are accounted for. The story keeps unraveling as she questions her own memory and the people around her.
It has a closed-in, tense atmosphere that grips you from the beginning.
Louise Candlish is a writer known for exploring the darker edges of everyday lives and relationships. Her book, “Our House,” starts with Fiona Lawson coming home to find strangers moving into her house.
Her husband and children are missing, and the home she thought was hers is no longer hers at all. As the story unfolds, secrets and betrayals come to the surface, pulling you into the tangled details of what really happened.
It’s a story full of twists where trust and loyalty quickly erode.
C.L. Taylor writes psychological thrillers with twists that keep you hooked. In her book “Sleep,” the story follows Anna, a woman who retreats to a remote island hotel after a car accident that haunts her with guilt and insomnia.
She hopes for peace, but the other guests are strangers with dark secrets. When messages appear, hinting that someone wants revenge, the tension builds. It’s the kind of story where you’re constantly guessing who to trust and what will happen next.
Karin Slaughter writes crime and thriller novels that grab your attention with every page. One of her books, “Pretty Girls,” follows two sisters, Claire and Lydia, who have been estranged for years after their sister Julia vanished.
Decades later, Claire’s husband is murdered, and the two sisters reconnect as they uncover shocking secrets about their family and Julia’s disappearance. Slaughter crafts a story full of twists and dark truths, keeping readers hooked as they piece together what really happened.
Sophie Hannah is a mystery writer known for her psychological thrillers and intricate puzzles. One of her books, “The Monogram Murders,” might catch your interest if you enjoy clever and unpredictable crime stories.
In this novel, Hercule Poirot returns, finding himself in the middle of a case involving three murders at a London hotel. Each victim is found with a monogrammed cufflink in their mouth. As Poirot digs deeper, he unravels secrets about the victims and the hotel’s guests.
It’s a story full of twists where every clue adds to the mystery. If you enjoy books where the pieces gradually fit together with satisfying surprises, this one is worth exploring.
M.J. Arlidge writes dark and fast-paced crime novels that keep readers hooked. One of his books, “Eeny Meeny,” introduces Detective Helen Grace, a fiercely determined investigator facing a twisted case.
Pairs of strangers are abducted and trapped with no way out except a horrifying choice: one must die so the other can live. The story focuses on the aftermath of those choices and Helen’s relentless hunt for the person pulling the strings.
If you enjoy gritty mysteries with a chilling edge, this book delivers tension and surprises.
Clare Mackintosh is known for writing twisty, emotional thrillers that often explore the darker corners of human relationships. One of her books, “I Let You Go,” starts with a heart-wrenching hit-and-run accident that leaves a mother shattered.
The story splits into two perspectives: one follows a police investigation into the tragedy, while the other focuses on a woman seeking a fresh start in a quiet seaside town. As the layers pull back, the truth proves to be far from what it first seemed.
It’s a story full of surprises and tension, perfect for readers who enjoy authors like Belinda Bauer.
Peter Swanson is known for his tightly-plotted psychological thrillers that keep readers hooked. His book, “The Kind Worth Killing,” starts with two strangers meeting on a plane. During the flight, they discuss what seems like idle fantasies.
One of them, a man named Ted, admits he wants to kill his unfaithful wife. The other, a mysterious woman named Lily, offers to help him. As their plans unfold, secrets are revealed, and nothing is as straightforward as it seemed.
The twists come fast, and the characters are full of surprises. Fans of Belinda Bauer’s dark and unpredictable storytelling might find Swanson’s work right up their alley.
Jane Harper writes suspenseful mysteries set in Australia, often capturing the harshness of the landscape. In her novel “The Dry,” she introduces Aaron Falk, a federal agent who returns to his drought-stricken hometown for the funeral of a childhood friend.
The friend is accused of killing his family before taking his own life, but questions arise when Falk starts digging into the past. The story blends a murder investigation with buried secrets from Falk’s youth, all under the suffocating heat of a town on edge.
Lucy Foley writes mysteries that pull readers into atmospheric settings with layered stories. Her novel, “The Guest List,” is set on a remote island off the coast of Ireland.
The story centers on a wedding that should be perfect, but secrets and grudges among the guests create tension. When a body is found, the celebration turns dark as everyone becomes a suspect.
The book weaves through the perspectives of different characters, building a sense of unease as pieces of the puzzle slowly come together.