Speaking Volumes | Like 'Girl on the Train'? Here are more thrillers
The best-selling phenomenon, "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins is a psychological thriller that captivates readers with an old-school style reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock. (In fact, the film adaptation starring Emily Blunt is planned for release later this year.) It was hard to put down this novel with its multiple suspects and an "unreliable narrator" in the form of an amnesiac character who herself may or may not be the killer. Now that you've ridden that train -- what other heart-stopping titles might you try next?
"The Kind Worth Killing" by Peter Swanson updates the "Strangers on a Train" plot (two people swapping murders) but becomes even more twisted as passengers on a plane discuss a plan that soon goes awry.
"Big Little Lies" by Liane Moriarty reveals the unexpected dark side of suburbia as a mundane school trivia night sets the scene for a murder among soccer moms.
In "Before I Go to Sleep" by S. J. Watson, a memory-impaired patient begins secretly keeping a journal and discovers that it doesn't quite jibe with what her husband and her doctor are telling her.
Yet another novel that finds the heroine waking with a gap in her memory is "In a Dark, Dark Wood" by Ruth Ware. This British author provides a twisty thrill ride when a reclusive mystery writer is invited to stay at an eerie estate for a weekend and can't remember if she even made it to the mansion.
In "The Bones of You" by Debbie Howells, a neighbor takes a grieving mother of a murder victim under her wing, but soon sees that all is not what it seems in the outwardly perfect household.
Do you think a family member could be capable of murder? In "The Dinner" by Herman Koch (released as a 2013 Dutch film), two brothers and their wives, during a candid dinner conversation, begin to suspect that their sons may have committed a terrible crime.
And finally, Amelia Gray's thriller "Threats" finds the married protagonist locating cryptic threats in the form of carved letters and handwritten notes throughout his house after his wife disappears. Through deciphering the notes clues begin to emerge that might explain what has happened.
Be sure to drop by the Manatee County Public Library nearest you or visit our website at www.mymanatee.org/library to experience the thrills and chills of some recent psychological fiction available in print and eBook formats.
Speaking Volumes, written by Manatee County Public Library System staff members, is published each Sunday. You may also access the library via the Internet: mymanatee.org/library. Kevin Beach is the Operations Manager for the Manatee County Public Library System.
This story was originally published March 18, 2016 at 6:16 PM with the headline "Speaking Volumes | Like 'Girl on the Train'? Here are more thrillers ."