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1922 (2017)
1922 (2017)
2017 | Crime, Horror
Not Stephen King's best
Either this wasn't directed very well or it isn't Stephen King's best novella. There seemed to be something lacking to make it a true psychological thriller. It consists of a man who manipulates his son into killing his mother in order to stay on the land and live life as farmers. And as expected things go horribly wrong from there.

But the thing is, most of the things that go wrong are expected if you're watching this kind of film. You know from the outset that the husband and son won't live merrily if they've committed this sort of crime so it's a total anti-climax. After watching King's other adapted film @Gerald's Game (2017), this felt like a let down.
  
Behind Her Eyes
Behind Her Eyes
Sarah Pinborough | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.9 (18 Ratings)
Book Rating
That ending...wait until the last chapter
I spent about 90% of the time umming and ah-ing about whether to finish this book or not. Most of the time I felt irritated bordering on bored, or brushing certain elements of it as downright ridiculous. So here's how you should listen to it. It is not a psychological thriller in the conventional sense, parts of it requires suspending all disbelief and just accepting for what it is.

But wait until the last chapter.

And your head will spin 180 degrees to make you realise the past 290 pages was all a fabrication of some sort.

Not a perfect book, could have been a lot shorter, but a very good climax.
  
The Woman in the Window
The Woman in the Window
A.J. Finn | 2018 | Thriller
7
8.0 (42 Ratings)
Book Rating
Interesting but familiar
While there were familiar elements to this psychological thriller with the unreliable narrator and presence of male violence, there were some good twists to make it equally listenable.

Following the story of psychologist Dr Anna Fox, it shows how agoraphobia has taken over her life, not before she witnesses something horrific in pure Hitchcock fashion. Her new neighbours, the Russells, appear to be hiding a secret which she catches while spying with her camera from across the window.

With that said, there are some classic thrillers built into the book such as Vertigo, Rear Window, and Wait Until Dark. And the main character happens to be a fan of these films as well. Good, but nothing completely new.
  
Tangerine: A Novel
Tangerine: A Novel
Christine Mangan | 2018 | Thriller
5
5.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Plain cruel
Call me a wimp, but I don't tend to enjoy books where terrible things happen to the protagonist without any proper resolution.

Alice Shipley, a rather meek woman, lives with her cocky husband in Tangiers, when one day a face from the past comes back to haunt her. Lucy Mason, her former roommate turns up at her doorstep with hidden motives.

This book has been described as similar to The Talented Mr Ripley, and in some ways, we can see how they converge. It is a psychological thriller including aspects of whether Alice can trust her mind, and if Lucy is just a bunny boiler - bringing together all the usual plots. I personally didn't relish this, because the conclusion fizzled out.
  
The Wife Between Us
The Wife Between Us
Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen | 2018 | Mystery, Thriller
8
8.1 (37 Ratings)
Book Rating
A young woman about to marry her lover, an ex-wife obsessed by her successor, or is everything not quite as it seems? The blurb does warn readers not to make assumptions and it also does a clever job of not giving anything away. This collaboration has produced a taught psychological thriller that has already seen the film rights being snapped up by Steven Spielberg. It’s a slow, absorbing read for the first part but then it turns like a tornado. You will get drawn into a marriage, the compromises, the cover ups and the condescension that can evolve over time. Don’t try to assume anything. Just read and enjoy this (in your own head) before you see the movie.
  
She Was The Quiet One
She Was The Quiet One
Michele Campbell | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller
8
7.6 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
I really like a psychological thriller. And I am drawn to books like this. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The pace is just perfect and it holds your attention throughout. I loved most of the characters, although I felt at times that the wife's personality was a bit clouded - she seems like she should be an intelligent women, but then there are moments where that seems to fail her. I was very surprised at the end when it turns out that Heath was actually seeing more than one pupil - that I did not expect and loved that little twist. There were points when I actually wasn't sure who killed the sister - Cody, Heath, Mrs Darcy, the list goes on.
  
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Milleen (47 KP) rated Our Little Lies in Books

Jan 14, 2019  
Our Little Lies
Our Little Lies
Sue Watson | 2018 | Mystery, Thriller
9
9.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is a very dramatic departure from the usual sugar dusted, bakery inspired novels Watson is so famous for. It’s a psychological, dark, domestic thriller that explores a seemingly perfect marriage, exposing what goes on behind closed doors. Marianne has everything, a handsome surgeon husband, a beautiful home and three children she adores. A perfect life. Then her husband says another woman’s name and her spiral descent begins. Is it paranoia or does she have reason to believe that this is another woman? This is a tense novel, using dramatic irony to pull you along Marianne’s journey. The characters are a little cliched, but I won’t spoil your reading by revealing too much. If you enjoy this genre then it is ‘unputdownable’.
  
Mummy's Little Secret
Mummy's Little Secret
M A Hunter | 2021 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
7
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
With its engrossing story line and excellent characters, this is a good psychological thriller that had me guessing until the end.

This absorbing and compelling story is told from the "before" and the "now" perspectives with the "before" being told by Jess and Morag and the "now" from the senior investigating officer, DI Mike Ferry. You would think this would be confusing but not in the slightest; what it does do is provide layers of mystery until it all comes together.

I haven't read anything by M.A. Hunter before but if this is anything to go by, I will certainly be looking out for more.

Thanks go to HarperCollins Publishers / One More Chapter and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
  
The Haunting of Hill House
The Haunting of Hill House
2018 | Horror
Captivating (3 more)
A few good jump scares
No dull/filler episodes
Binge-worthy
Season 1 Review
This show, I think I binge watched in only a matter of days. It is quite different from the book if you have read that first, but regardless, it is a fantastic show. It is very much a psychological thriller in that you won't really have that, "OH!" Moment until around the last episode, in which you will be so disappointed that it is over and want there to be more. There may be a few moments of confusion, but push through as it really does all make so much sense in the end. Overall, a very well directed, produced, and cast show that you are guarenteed to love!
  
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Midge (525 KP) rated The Buried Girl in Books

Mar 5, 2019  
The Buried Girl
The Buried Girl
Richard Montanari | 2019 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
10
9.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
A Chilling Psychological Thriller with Gothic Elements
This book caught my eye as I loved the synopsis and I read a lot of books from this genre, although I haven’t read any of the author, Richard Montanari’s books before. “The Buried Girl” is a chilling psychological thriller with some added Gothic elements.

When the wife of a New York psychologist, Will Hardy, is murdered he moves into Godwin Hall, a dusty, shut-up mansion in the small town of Abbeville, Ohio, with his teenage daughter, Bernadette.

At the same time, Abbeville Chief of Police Ivy Holgrave is investigating the death of a local girl. She is convinced this may only be the latest in a long line of murders dating back decades, including her own long-missing sister.

But what place does Will's new home have in the story of the missing girls and why does he have past memories of Godwin Hall? Is the diary of a young woman, written over a century earlier, linked to the killings?

Richard Montanari writes a wonderfully atmospheric and compelling novel. Tense and suspenseful, the many threads of the story slowly begin to link together, central to which is Godwin Hall. Both the characterisation and the plot are superb with the three main characters damaged, but starting the process of recovery. I am hoping that there will be a sequel to this novel as it was a fantastic read which I highly recommend to lovers of thrillers and crime fiction.

{Thank you to Edelweiss and HarperCollins UK/Witness Impulse for the free copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.}