The Thrifty Book Buyer: The Women of Suspense
Hello,
Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!
When it comes to a book loaded with crime, horror, and suspense, I have always read novels written by women. Many of my fellow bookworms swear that men write better thrillers. This cannot be farther from the truth in my opinion. Agatha Christie and Mary Higgins Clark seem to be the only names I hear when the words 'mystery' and 'suspense' come up in a sentence. But there are a lot more suspense novelists out there who are currently dominating the bestseller lists.
Here are a few authors that I read and highly recommend:
- Mary Burton- In book one of her Forgotten Files series, Mary Burton introduces us to State Trooper Riley Tatum. A survivor of the serial killer known as the Shark, she has built her life up, helping other survivors of violent crimes. Riley and her devoted dog, Cooper, put food on the table and bring closure to cold cases. But when the Shark returns to finish what he started, her adopted daughter may be the bait he needs to lure her in. With the help of an old flame, Clay Bowman, and Agent Dakota Sharp, she must once again play the Shark's game to bring her daughter back alive. In book two, the Dollmaker, Dakota Sharp and his estranged wife, Tessa, work to reign in a serial killer that tattoos his victims to look like porcelain dolls. But the pattern looks to be targeting Tessa's college friends, making her the logical next victim. As the Dollmaker closes in, Sharp must keep vigilant if his wife is to survive. Mary Burton writes romantic thrillers complete with gory crime scenes and steamy sex. A definite guilty pleasure for your Summer Reading. Rachel Caine- Caine is responsible for three of my highest rated reads: the Stillhouse Lake series. In this terrifying and often relentless series, we are introduced to Gina Royal. Married to Melvin Royal, Gina has two children. One day she discovers that her husband is a serial killer. After public opinion mounts that she was his accomplice all along, Gina is acquitted during his trial. Changing her name to Gwen Proctor and fleeing hateful mobs and followers of her husband, she relocates to Stillhouse Lake with her children. But the dark web is alive with chatter and soon Proctor is discovered to be Gina Royal. Gina must do her best to train her children to be vigilant and fight. Because the followers of Melvin Royal have found them, and they are determined to kill Gwen and bring her children to Melvin. Spanning three edge-of-your-seat novels (book four due in 2020), Gwen Proctor must battle psychotic fans of Melvin and Melvin himself, desperately trying to bring her life back to normal... if that is even possible. This series is suspense at its best.
- Tami Hoag- Tami Hoag is the author of riveting crime thrillers; famous for her Liska and Kovac detective series. One of my favorite series is her Oak Knoll Trilogy based in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In Deeper than the Dead we are introduced to Oak Knoll, a seemingly quiet community with very little crime. Then a serial killer begins kidnapping and killing young women. FBI Agent Vince Leone is called to the sleepy town to investigate the killings. He meets Anne Navarre, a young school teacher who may be the killer's next victim. As the books progress serial killers are confronted and romance is kindled, all culminating in the discovery of a new predator that has arisen in Oak Knoll in book three. A fun series that had me wanting more.
- Jennifer Jaynes- Crazy-good times are what await readers of Jennifer Jaynes. This writer of thrillers delivers many aspects of the genre, including horror. Two books that have left a lasting impression on me are Disturbed and the Stranger Inside. In Disturbed we are introduced to massacre survivor, Chelsea Dutton. Haunted by the night her roommates were butchered by a psychotic killer, she does her best to live a normal life. With the help of her best friend, Elizabeth, Chelsea slowly builds her life back up. But one day she finds a note on her car's windshield. It says, YOU MADE ME.. the same words written in blood on the bathroom mirror of her college apartment. Has the killer returned to finish what he started? In the Stranger Inside we are introduced to crime writer, Diane Christie. She works nights at a help line and intercepts a confession from what appears to be a killer. As a murderer visits college dorms, Christie must confront her fears that she is indeed speaking with a killer at night on the help line. But when she discovers the killer's identity it is what she does that is shocking. This book has divided fans and left many disturbed by the ending. But I have to admit that I understood why Christie did what she did. Very thought provoking writing.
- Lisa Gardner- This popular crime thriller writer has a habit of creating some of the most terrifying villains. In Say Goodbye we are introduced to Mr. Dinchara, a crazed murderer and child predator with a love of spiders. His gruesome visage consists of two rows of spider eyes tattooed on his head. He is relentless and hangs his victims cocooned from trees. In Find Her, Gardner brings serial killer Jacob Ness to life. A brutal mass murderer with a twisted view on humanity. After kidnapping young Flora Dane for over four hundred days and keeping her in and out of a coffin, he is finally defeated. But the nightmare never ends for Flora, as she and Detective D.D. Warren begin finding connections to the dead man's victims. And waiting in the darkness, Jacob Ness's protégé is determined to finish off Flora.
Lisa Jewell- Blending family drama and the good old fashioned murder mystery, Lisa Jewell has evolved over the years as a writer. Her hit novels have captivated millions all over the world. In Then She Was Gone we are introduced to Ellie Mack, a teenage girl that vanishes without a trace one day. Her mother does her best to deal with her disappearance, but the mystery of Ellie's vanishing act has her perplexed for almost a decade. When I discovered what happened to Ellie, I was floored by the painful storyline and sheer desperation involved in the kidnapping. And after all is said and done, Jewell tacks on an epilogue that delivers to us the doomed teens last words, which had me tearing up and searching for tissues. A powerful writer, Jewell pulls me in every time and delivers an amazing mystery laced with family drama and thrills.
Shari Lapena- When guests at a bed and breakfast in the Catskill Mountains are trapped during a blizzard with a murderer, they must stick together or become the latest body found in Lapena's thriller, An Unwanted Guest. This Agatha Christie homage is an old fashioned whodunit that in the end manages to shock and surprise. She also has written several other suspense novels that have left me floored. When it comes to surprises, Shari Lapena delivers in spades.
- Louisa Luna- When bounty hunter Alice Vega asks a disgraced ex cop for help on a case, she will stop at nothing to get his aid. In Two Girls Down, two young girls are kidnapped and vanish without a trace. Hired by the girls' family, Alice delves into the sinister world of child predators. In the end this book had me ready for book two immediately. Unfortunately I will have to wait until 2020 for the next book in the series. Luna has created an amazing character in Vega, and I am ready for more of her brand of justice.
- Claire Mackintosh- An ex-policewoman, Claire Mackintosh delivers accurate police procedure with her novels. In I See You she takes on the world of social media as a killer seemingly searches for victims via an advertisement in the paper. Using on-line dating and surveillance, a game of cat and mouse has a community in fear. Potential victim Zoe Parker teams up with demoted detective Kelly Swift to solve the mystery surrounding the ad and the deaths of the women featured previously. In the end the true masterminds of this ad shocked me. I look forward to reading more of her novels. Her writing style is very twisty and delivers quite the punch at the end.
- Ruth Ware- The Death of Mrs. Westaway was one of my top five favorite reads of 2018. Its mix of mystery and suspense blended well with its Gothic setting. When Hal Westaway is delivered notice that she is named in her grandmother's will, she knows it is a mistake. But she is low on cash and has a loan shark after her. Using her talent for cold-reading people she embarks on a journey to Trepassen House, where she encounters the odd Westaway family and their hateful caretaker, Mrs. Warren. As the will is read, secrets are discovered and Hal is in a race against time to discover her connection to the Westaways before one of them kills her. Ruth ware's brand of suspense is bone-deep and visceral in its presentation. She has perfected the psychological thriller, which has me eagerly awaiting her next novel.
Have fun
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