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7 Psychological Thrillers I Finished in a Day as a Slow Reader
I usually read really slowly, so if I finish a book in one sitting, it must be amazing and fast-paced. That’s why I put together this list of gripping and twisty thrillers that I surprisingly finished in a day. These books are so captivating, they made me fall in love with the thriller genre. Some of these are even unforgettable thriller I have read as a book blogger. These chilling thrillers are great for book clubs too.
Thrillers I Finished in a Day
1. None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
I finished None of This is True just in time to include in this list. It was one of my anticipated releases of 2024. The story revolves around Alix Summers, a popular podcaster who meets Josie Fair on her forty-fifth birthday. At first, Josie seems like just another fan, but she soon reveals herself to be much more. Josie’s life is filled with dark secrets, and as Alix starts to uncover them, she finds herself drawn deeper into a web of lies and danger. The twists and turns were so unexpected, I found myself staying up late. The final twist blew my mind and made me rethink everything I had read up to that point. Also check out book club questions For None of This Is True
Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summers crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins.
A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.
Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life—and into her home.
But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family’s lives under mortal threat.
Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?
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2. The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
The Family Upstairs was the very first Lisa Jewell book I read and immediacy made me her fan. The story follows Libby Jones, who inherits a mansion with a dark past. As she finds about the history of the house and its former inhabitants, she uncovers chilling secrets about her own family. The way the different character stories intertwined was fascinating. I just had to keep reading to see how all the pieces fit together and what the ultimate resolution would be.
Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am.
She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them.
Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone.
The can’t-look-away story of three entangled families living in a house with the darkest of secrets.
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3. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
The Silent Patient was one of those psychological thrillers that I couldn’t stop thinking about. The story of Alicia Berenson, who stops speaking after a violent incident, was so captivating. Seeing the story unfold through her therapist, Theo, kept me on edge. The way Theo tries to uncover the reasons behind Alicia’s silence is filled with suspense and intrigue. It was one of those books where the ending was so satisfying that I wanted to start over to catch all the clues I missed. Also read : 21 Best Thrillers Like The Silent Patient
Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.
Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.
Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him….
The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller of a woman’s act of violence against her husband—and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive.
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4. Verity by Colleen Hoover
Even before I began reading, I knew Verity was a creepy and twisty book because it was everywhere on Bookstagram and BookTok. So, I waited a bit to read it. When I finally did, I instantly understood why everyone was praising it. This was totally different from any thriller I had read. The eerie and unsettling atmosphere, driven by the manuscript within the story, had me hooked. Each revelation was more shocking than the last. It’s also one of the steamiest thrillers I’ve ever read, so prepare yourself for that. Also read: 13 Smutty Romance Thrillers For Fans of Verity
Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.
Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity’s notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn’t expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity’s recollection of what really happened the day her daughter died.
Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen’s feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife’s words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her.
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5. Ward D by Freida McFadden
Ward D by Freida McFadden was a fast-paced thriller set in a psychiatric ward. The setting added so much tension. The plot follows a medical student, Amy, who is doing her rotation in the psychiatric ward and starts to uncover sinister happenings. The story moved quickly with surprising twists and a sense of dread that built up with each chapter. Check out the full list of Freida McFadden books, if you love fast-paced thrillers.
Medical student Amy Brenner is spending the night on a locked psychiatric ward.
Amy has been dreading her evening working on Ward D, the hospital’s inpatient mental health unit. There are very specific reasons why she never wanted to do this required overnight rotation. Reasons nobody can ever find out.
And as the hours tick by, Amy grows increasingly convinced something terrible is happening within these tightly secured walls. When patients and staff start to vanish without a trace, it becomes clear that everyone on the unit is in grave danger.
Amy’s worst nightmare was spending the night on Ward D.
And now she might never escape.
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6. What Lies Between Us by John Marrs
What Lies Between Us was an emotional and suspenseful novel. The relationship between Nina and Maggie is dark and full of secrets. Each chapter shifts between their perspectives, slowly revealing the truth. I loved the psychological tension and cliffhangers. I couldn’t wait to see how the story was going to go.
They say every house has its secrets, and the house that Maggie and Nina have shared for so long is no different. Except that these secrets are not buried in the past.
Every other night, Maggie and Nina have dinner together. When they are finished, Nina helps Maggie back to her room in the attic, and into the heavy chain that keeps her there. Because Maggie has done things to Nina that can’t ever be forgiven, and now she is paying the price.
But there are many things about the past that Nina doesn’t know, and Maggie is going to keep it that way—even if it kills her.
Because in this house, the truth is more dangerous than lies.
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7. The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry
The Perfect Child was a chilling and disturbing read that gripped me from the start. The story revolves around Christopher and Hannah, who adopt a troubled child named Janie. As Janie’s behavior becomes increasingly erratic and dangerous, the couple’s life spirals out of control.
A page-turning debut of suspense about a young couple desperate to have a child of their own—and the unsettling consequences of getting what they always wanted.
Christopher and Hannah are a happily married surgeon and nurse with picture-perfect lives. All that’s missing is a child. When Janie, an abandoned six-year-old, turns up at their hospital, Christopher forms an instant connection with her, and he convinces Hannah they should take her home as their own.
But Janie is no ordinary child, and her damaged psyche proves to be more than her new parents were expecting. Janie is fiercely devoted to Christopher, but she acts out in increasingly disturbing ways, directing all her rage at Hannah. Unable to bond with Janie, Hannah is drowning under the pressure, and Christopher refuses to see Janie’s true nature.
Hannah knows that Janie is manipulating Christopher and isolating him from her, despite Hannah’s attempts to bring them all together. But as Janie’s behavior threatens to tear Christopher and Hannah apart, the truth behind Janie’s past may be enough to push them all over the edge.
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Conclusion
These thrillers are perfect for anyone who loves a good page-turner. If you enjoy gripping plots and unexpected twists you should actually read all seven !!
MORE THRILLERS TO READ
10 Addictive Psychological Thrillers Every Freida McFadden Fan Needs
51 Bone-Chilling Psychological Thriller Books for Book Clubs
11 Epic Thrillers That Start With a Bang
26 Most Rated Thriller Books on Goodreads
Stephy George
