Psychological Thrillers - Christchurch City Libraries
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All the elements of mystery, drama, and horror are present in this sub-genre, as authors delve into the fallibility of the human psyche. Emphasising the instability of characters' emotional states, and often led by unreliable narrators, these stories bring into question the nature of reality and perception. Tense and suspenseful, expect to be held in their sway as the mysteries are untangled, and psychological intricacies revealed. A Christchurch City Libraries list.
In finely wound, deft prose Flynn unpicks the torrid fabric of the lives of a seemingly perfect, privileged married couple, whose relationship becomes the subject of inquiry after Amy, the wife, goes missing. Pacey and dark, with Flynn's signature…
A dark twisty thriller connecting three women with one man in ways that are completely unbelievable and utterly disturbing. When recently widowed Nina meets Nick, she thinks she has found a calm, gentle man who makes her feel great. But Ash, Nina's…
Motherhood comes under the microscope in this complex and unsettling novel that analyses the argument of nature versus nurture across multiple generations of mothers in one family. When Blythe becomes a mother, she is determined to give her daughter…
FBI cadet Clarice Starling unravels the mystery of who is behind a series of grisly murders in this highly suspenseful, stomach-churning, modern classic. Co-starring the imprisoned ex-psychologist and cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter,…
Ashley Cordova, 24-year-old daughter of legendary but reclusive film director Stanislas Cordova (think Stanley Kubrick meets David Lynch), is found dead in an abandoned warehouse. Despite her death being ruled a suicide, investigative reporter Scott…
In the middle of the night, in the middle of a snowstorm, a woman hears footsteps inside her 300-year-old New England house, and sees shadowy figure at the top of the stairs. Rousing her two young kids, she takes them to hide in a secret room in the…
Stacy Willingham had a fantastic debut with 'Flicker in the Dark,' and this follow-up is every bit as captivating. Isabelle hasn't been able to sleep since her toddler son was taken from his crib while she and her husband slept in the next room a…
Pacey, concisely written, tension-laden, and page-turning, this work will have you on the edge of your seat from the first page. A painter shoots her fashion photographer husband in the face five times, and doesn't speak a word about it — in fact,…
If you've read Sarah Pinborough's 'Behind Her Eyes' (or seen the Netflix series adaptation), you know you're in for a thrilling, mind-bending ride with this one too! Although Emma has managed to build a perfect life with a great career and family,…
This slow-burning, suspenseful dance of deception between a mother and daughter is sure to leave you reeling. Ruth and her daughter Catherine have always been inseparable, just the two of them against the world as they moved from city to city. But…
A slow burning psychological journey into a character both likeable and disturbing, and a favourite of armchair psychologists. Tom Ripley is a man living by any means possible in NYC, including some of a morally questionable variety. The father of a…
Translated from French, this slow burning novel reads like a psychotic 'Mary Poppins" and has all the twists and turns that fans of this genre have come to love. When Parisian lawyer Myriam returns to work after having two children, she and her…
Rachel Watson is suffering in the midst of a crisis that descends into a story of gaslighting, malice and treachery. She has lost her job and her marriage, which fell apart when her husband left her for another woman, Anna. With nothing better to…
If you really want a read to mess with your head, look no further than 'I'm Thinking of Ending Things.' A woman is taking a road trip with her boyfriend, on their way to visit his parents for the first time at their secluded farm house. But when…
In this deeply nerve-rattling thriller, we meet Lee Burton, who was, at 12, the sole member of a reclusive community to remain while all fifteen other members vanished without a trace. As an adult, she is living a quiet life with her husband and new…
Alice Feeney is the queen of psychological thrillers with mind-blowing plot twists, and this is widely considered to be her best work. In a quaint little British town, a woman is murdered. What unfolds is told from two perspectives: Anna, a…
Dennis Lehane's 'Shutter Island,' as well as its film adaptation by Martin Scorsese, has become a masterclass in psychological suspense, and comes with one of the best plot twists in the genre. In 1954, US Marshall Teddy Daniels and his partner…
A serial killer narrative told through the eyes of the women in his life, this is a riveting psychological study that is equally thought-provoking and heart-pounding. Aidan is the perfect family man on the outside, but he has one hell of a secret…
Really putting the "psycho" in "psychological," John Marrs' wicked little story revolves around Laura, a woman who works at the 'End of the Line' hotline for people who are contemplating suicide. Except Laura doesn't actually want to help these…
