Good books have the ability to capture the readers’ minds for a while but Great books have the ability to capture a part of history forever and be remembered as one of the masterpieces. The award-winning books by some brilliant authors not just made it to the shelves of every other reader but it also made it to the headlines until they became a household name.
Talking about great books, The Gone Girl shouldn’t be left behind. It is one of the greatest psychological thrillers that the world of literature has ever witnessed. Written by Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl is an award-winning book that became a sensation since its release. The thriller and mystery book has undoubtedly intoxicated our minds by presenting us with its indigestible storyline.
The story in the book follows the life of a married couple, Nick and Amy. The life of the couple is like any other ordinary couple but they are unaware that something really shocking and terrible is waiting for them right around the corner. And Amy going missing marks the beginning of it.
The unbelievable turn of events compels the reader’s minds and twists their brains and make them be the detective of the story to find out what is the truth. The Unrelenting and unbelievable story is a thriller all along and the theatre adaptation of the movie was released in 2012 with the same name which received critical acclaim worldwide but the fans will tell you why it is important to read the book.
Well, if you have read the books and looking for more of the same books like Gone Girl, then you have come to the right place. Below we have listed some great psychological thriller books that you will definitely love if you enjoyed the Gone Girl:
1. The Girl on the Train
Author: Paula Hawkins
Publishing Year: 2015
the book like ‘Gone Girl’, ‘The Girl On The Train’ is also a psychological thriller and a pretty mind-twisting read. The book is written by Paula Hawkins who became a household name after the release of the book. The thing that will impress you the most in this book is the suspenseful storytelling with the eyes of an unreliable narrator.
The story is about a woman who is an alcoholic; the woman likes to take train rides to clear her mind. And every day she sees this couple who seems so in love and enjoys each other’s company but one day they suddenly go missing.
The events that follow it will have you curl your toes. One of the most unsettling and unbelievable plots twists that the world of literature has ever witnessed and we are not even exaggerating. Well, if you don’t believe us, you have to believe the stats which say that the book sold 15 million copies worldwide, and that’s a pretty huge number.
2. Sometimes I Lie
Author: Alice Fenny
Publishing Year: 2017
Alice Fenny has done a great job considering ‘Sometimes I Lie’ is her debut novel. The thriller suspense novel follows the life of a woman who suffers a terrible accident. The accident results in making Amber, the woman go in a semi-delusional coma which means she can’t move or anything but she is aware of her surrounding and can hear everything but unable to see.
Right from the beginning, the readers are assured that Amber is semi-delusional and she is also the narrator of the story so whatever she says could be a lie too. The author then weaves together her past and present to make the story more interesting and gripping.
The characterization in the book is pretty strong and the unbelievable turn of events will sometimes make you question your own sanity. The unputdownable book, Sometimes I lie will definitely keep you hooked till the end.
3. The Couple Next Door
Author: Shari Lapena
Publishing Year: 2016
In this whole wide our it is our family who we trust the most, but are the members of the family are worth trusting, do you know them completely or not? The book, ‘The Couple Next Door’ will ask you the same question through its story. The author who wrote this book is a former lawyer so you can expect some tales to be inspired by some actual prosecutions.
The story of the book follows the life of a couple who lives in New York and the only thing that is keeping them from getting divorced is their daughter, Cora who has recently been born. The real story starts when they visit the house in the neighborhood where they have been invited to a birthday party. But their biggest fear becomes reality when Cora gets kidnapped.
Upon investigation all the major evidence points to their own house but what is the truth behind this? The story takes a huge turn of events and when they think they are getting closer they get a dead end and the moment when that happens another mystery knocks the door.
4. The Perfect Nanny
Author: Leila Silmani
Publishing Year: 2016
The Perfect Nanny by the French author is an award-winning international thriller. The story sets the theme of a modern world where everything is like a race. The book is basically about a nanny who takes care of two kids. The nanny is everything that the parents look for in the person who they want to take care of their kids. She is disciplined, trust-worthy, loving, and caring.
‘The Perfectly Nanny’ frequently makes us question that isn’t that too good to be true? She slowly becomes part of their family and they all start doing everything together like a family. But at the end of the day, family and just like family are two very different things.
The thriller will have you hooked from the start and with some shocking turn of events you will witness this spooky and cringy tale of ‘The Perfect Nanny’.
5. The Woman in the Window
Author: A. J. Finn
Publishing Year: 2018
The Woman in the Window is somehow similar to the Gone Girl and said to be its alter ego. The two books share a whole lot of similarities in the plot. It is the story of delusions, and fantasies accompanied by depression. The book follows the life story of Anna Fox, the woman who is an alcoholic and lives in her apartment alone.
She likes to stay inside and spy on her neighbors because she is suspicious that there is something very wrong going on there, which actually tuned out to be true when she experiences something really unsettling. Each page of this book is crafted carefully to give you the thrill that you are looking for in psychological thrillers.
6. The Good Girl
Author: Mary Kubica
Publishing Year: 2014
The Good Girl is a debut novel by Mary Kubica, an author from New York. The brilliant work of thriller with twisting of our minds is a brainstorming read that will have you keep changing your opinions about the characters. The book also has a take on controversial issues such as racism. ‘The Good Girl’ is about Mia who seems like really a ‘good girl’ but as the plot progresses you will question everything.
Mia Denet lives in Chicago with her family who is rich and affluent. She has an outgoing nature and is pretty great around other people. One day she goes to the bar to meet with her boyfriend with whom she is having a pretty complicated relationship, but she is unaware that she will end up meeting the most handsome stranger in the world.
The book then will slowly release the shocking events that will have you change the perception from time to time. The book is somehow similar to Gone Girl as far as the disappearance is concerned and is just as thrilling.
7. The Last Lost Girl
Author: Maria Hoey
Publishing Year: 2017
The debut novel by a brilliant Irish author, Maria Hoey marks the beginning of her career and the fulfillment of her dreams. She wanted to become a writer from a very young age and with The Last Lost Girl, her dream became reality. The story of the book will introduce you to a family who is suffering from trauma after a disappearance.
Maria Hoey weaves together past and present to give us a thrilling read. The things in the book start getting ugly when a girl goes missing. Shockingly enough, the disappearance is connected with a murder that happened a long time ago. The Last Lost Girl also has a spooky angle in it which introduces us to a ghostly entity.
The book is filled with a lot of emotions and is very diverse in its form. The twisted tale will have you exercising your minds and be the virtual detective of the story. The severe consequences in the story will ultimately lead you to the truth.
8. In The Woods
Author: Tana French
Publishing Year: 2007
The New York Times Bestselling novel written by Tana French is a psychotic crime thriller. The award-winning story revolves around the murder of a young girl. Later that another murder is also been spotted in the streets of Dublin when three twelve years old kid went missing and only one of them was found. The child who was found has no memory of what happened like the information in his mind has been erased.
You will get to experience this story with the eyes of the detective of the story, Rob Ryan. He is a truth-seeker who wants to solve the case desperately but every time he ends up hitting the dead end. The book will entice the readers with its compelling story and in the end, an extremely sad ending awaits for you.
9. The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo
Author: Stieg Larsson
Publishing Year: 2005
The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo by a novelist and journalist from Sweden follows the story of the disappearance of a girl named Harriet Miller. The investigation of the case is carried out by a journalist named Mikael Blomkvist. The journalist is hired by the uncle of the girl who disappeared who is an octogenarian industrialist named Henrik Vanger.
Henrick Vanger suspects that one of the family members has killed his niece and wants Mikael to run the investigation to find out. The unraveling of the mystery will have you on your toes and the unexpected plot twist is going to leave all the readers astounded. The book later was even adapted into a movie of the same name which is totally worth watching.
Apart from this, the other works of the author around the same genre are worth a try too, that includes The Girl who Played with Fire and The Girl with the Spider Web.
10. And Then There Were None
Author: Agatha Christie
Publishing Year: 1939
The list is incomplete without mentioning any of the works of Agatha Christie. The author established herself as one of the greatest mystery and thriller writers. The book, And Then There Were None is the most recognized work of the author and according to her it was the most difficult to write for her.
The book follows the lives of ten strangers who are unknown to each other and all of them are invited to an isolated island. All of the strangers have committed some terrible crimes in their life and somehow managed to escape justice and now on the island they are about to get what they deserve. One by one they are all being picked off and they are fighting for their survival. But will they succeed?
The book has been adapted into a movie as well as a television series of the same name. The murder mystery novel has a gripping theme and is a perfect book for you if you are looking for a mentally stimulating read.
11. The Silent Wife
Author: A. S. A. Harrison
Publishing Year: 2013
The Silent Wife is another great psychological thriller on the list which is the debut novel by the author. The book has been translated in up to 20 languages and its theatre adaptation has been released starring Nicole Kidman. The author of the story, A. S. A. Harrison died shortly after the release of the book in 2013 because of cancer.
The book, The Silent Wife follows the life story of Jodi Brett who is a forty five years old woman and she lives with her long term partner named Todd Gilbert and the couple are not legally married yet. And also, Todd is already having an affair with someone else who is the daughter of his best friend Dean. When Todd finds out that the girl that she is dating is pregnant he moves out leaving Jodi behind and also makes her leave the home.
Now Jodi along with her friend Alison plans to murder Todd for ruining her life. But when the murder happened, Dean was arrested for it. Later Jodi feels very bad that someone else has to take the fall for what she did but soon she realizes that all the evidence proves that Dean committed the murder and her plan with Alison never really happened.
12. Before I Go To Sleep
Author: S. J. Watson
Publishing Year: 2008
Before I Go To Sleep is the debut novel by the author which has been translated in over 40 languages. The New York Times Bestselling novel recounts the life of a woman who every day wakes up with a stranger man only to realize later that he is actually her husband. The woman who is suffering from a memory loss forgets everything after she sleeps and wakes up every day with a blank mind.
The woman tried to find herself and know who she is and how everything happened to her that made her end up in such a situation. She keeps a journal that helps her in remembering the important parts of her life. A therapist is also helping her discretely about which she can not even tell her husband.
What follows after is very unforeseen even for the protagonist when she finally finds out the truth about her existence she goes in denial and is left completely in shock.
13. In Cold Blood
Author: Truman Capote
Publishing Year: 1965
In Cold Blood is actually a pretty different read but it somehow fits the theme. The book is a non-fiction work of the author that recounts the controversial murder of four members of the Herbert Clutter family in Kansas. The brutal killing of the family members was done with a shotgun held just a few inches from their faces. The thrilling mystery almost left no clues and had no apparent motive.
It took the author years of investigation, research, and interviews who were around at the time of this controversial mass murder. The book involves the complete story of the murder from the capture, trial, and execution of the killers. The author brilliantly builds the story with suspense and will keep you hooked until the very end.
Conclusion
The Gone Girl is certainly one of the best books in the psychological thriller that we have today. The book has actually inspired a lot of writers to showcase their talent in the genre and gift us one of the most enthralling reads. The books mentioned above are said to the best of a psychological thriller. With mind-twisting plots and a shocking turn of events and finally the unraveling of the mystery is everything that crafts a great thriller story.
If you are a fan of thriller and suspense genre, Gone Girl is a must read for you and if you have already read that book and loved it too then there is a high chance you are going to love the works mentioned in the article above. So get your detective glasses on, because these stories will make you the virtual detectives who are the seekers of truth.
Do let us know in the comment section how you liked this article, and if you have read or happen to know any other great books of the same genre, then let us know in the comment section below. Also, you can send us your suggestions and queries in the box below and we will make sure to help you with that.
