There’s something about a thriller with a female lead who’s slightly unhinged and has a little secret or a few big ones to hide that keeps us at the edge of our seats. Whether she’s faking her identity, burying the past, or quietly plotting revenge, we can’t help but root for her. If you love morally complex women with hidden motives, simmering suspense, and high-stakes twists, these reads will grip you from the first chapter and leave you breathless by the last.
The Grand Paloma Resort by Cleyvis Natera
What begins with a mysterious medical emergency and a missing child spirals into a blistering collision of ambition, class, and survival. Vida, a local healer and expectant mother, is pulled into the chaos against her will. Laura, a careerist resort manager, is on the brink of a major promotion if she can keep things under control. And Elena, her troubled younger sister, is hiding one reckless choice too many. Fans of Big Little Lies will devour this immersive, heat-drenched thriller where every woman is fighting to escape something and the truth is the steepest price of all.
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Whispers of the Lake by Shanora Williams
When investigative journalist Rose Howard learns her flaky ex-bestie Eve has gone off-grid at a lakeside cabin, she does what she does best: she digs. The charming town of Sage Hill isn’t exactly rolling out the welcome mat, and the deeper Rose pokes into Eve’s disappearance, the more the town and her own memories begin to unravel. Missing passports, creepy cabin owners, and a whole lot of “we don’t talk about that” turn this lakeside escape into a haunted trap of secrets and past betrayals. Shanora Williams spins a moody, suspenseful tale perfect for fans of The Last House Guest and The Sundown Motel.
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First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
Evie Porter isn’t her real name. It’s just the latest identity given to her by the shadowy Mr. Smith for another covert assignment. This time, the job is complicated by Ryan Sumner is a mark who feels like more than just a target. As Evie’s fake life begins to feel dangerously real, her past closes in, threatening to destroy everything she’s built. Fast-paced and sharp as glass, this cat-and-mouse thriller is perfect for fans of Killing Eve and The Flight Attendant. You’ll love watching Evie try to outrun her secrets.
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You Belong Here by Megan Miranda
Beckett Bowery thought she’d buried the past, but returning to the Virginia college town that nearly ruined her proves otherwise. Two decades ago, a campus tragedy left two men dead and a roommate gone without a trace. Now her daughter is enrolled at the very same college, and old ghosts are stirring. Miranda serves up a slow-burning mystery filled with academic tension, long-held grudges, and the dread of unfinished business.
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None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
Podcast meets predator in this twisty psychological thriller. Josie Fair is quiet, awkward, and just unsettling enough to make Alix, true crime podcaster and birthday twin, take notice. But when Josie’s stories veer into dangerous territory and she begins infiltrating Alix’s life, things spiral fast. Then Josie disappears, and Alix finds herself the unwitting subject of a chilling new podcast with her own family in the crosshairs. If you liked The Stranger Beside Me or You, this unsettling tale will have you questioning what’s real and who’s watching. Buckle up and be prepared to be very uncomfortable in the best way.
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She Didn’t See It Coming by Shari Lapena
One moment, Bryden is a working mom managing a toddler and a to-do list. The next, she’s completely gone, her car in the garage, phone on the counter, keys in the hall. Just vanished. Her husband Sam spirals into panic as their luxe condo becomes the epicenter of a search that turns up more questions than answers. Was it a kidnapping? A planned escape? Or something even darker? Shari Lapena delivers her signature domestic suspense with surgical precision in this chilling exploration of appearances, betrayals, and the thin line between safety and disaster.
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The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean
Ellie Black has returned but she’s not the same girl who vanished. Detective Chelsey Calhoun knows a miracle when she sees one, but something about Ellie’s story doesn’t add up. Haunted by her own sister’s unsolved disappearance, Chelsey is determined to uncover the truth even if it means reliving her own trauma. Jean masterfully unpacks what survival really looks like in this moody, emotional thriller laced with grief and grit. Perfect for fans of The Lovely Bones and Gone Girl, this is a story about what we carry, what we hide, and who pays the price.
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Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
Lucy’s best friend was murdered. Lucy was found covered in blood. And Lucy can’t remember a thing. Years later, a true crime podcast decides to reopen the case, and Lucy returns to her hometown to finally uncover what really happened. Tintera nails the podcast-meets-page format with biting humor and escalating tension. If Only Murders in the Building had a darker, more female-driven twist, this would be it.
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Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier
One year after her son was kidnapped, Marin is barely holding it together until she learns her husband is having an affair. Her grief ignites into fury, and the hunt for her son is replaced by a hunt for the mistress. But as Marin digs deeper, she uncovers a trail of secrets more sinister than she could’ve imagined. Hillier blends emotional intensity with pitch-black twists for a domestic thriller that’s impossible to put down. If Gone Girl and Big Little Lies had a high-stakes lovechild, it would look a lot like Little Secrets.
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The Girl You Know by Elle Gonzalez Rose
When Luna’s twin sister dies under suspicious circumstances, Luna infiltrates her elite boarding school to uncover the truth. But posing as Solina proves more dangerous than she imagined, especially as secrets bubble up and alliances blur. Gonzalez Rose delivers an atmospheric boarding school thriller filled with rich girls, dark halls, and righteous fury.
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Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang
Julie Chan’s influencer twin is dead. And now Julie’s taken her place. The likes are rolling in, the wardrobe is to die for, and the mystery of Chloe’s death? Still very much unsolved. But behind the filtered perfection is a world full of lies, lust, and deadly cliques.
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Before She Finds Me by Heather Chavez
Two mothers. Two dangerous secrets. One unforgettable collision. Julia saves her daughter’s life during a campus shooting, but what if the attack wasn’t random? Ren, a pregnant assassin, suspects her husband broke their cardinal rule—and she’s ready to find out why. Told in dual POVs, this high-octane thriller pits instinct against ideology, motherhood against morality.
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Her Many Faces by Nicci Cloke
Katherine Cole is either a cunning killer or simply the most misunderstood woman in Britain depending on who you ask. When four powerful men are poisoned at a posh London club, Katherine, a waitress with a penchant for online rabbit holes, is thrown under the media microscope. Five men, her father, her lover, a journalist, a friend, and her lawyer, each tell a wildly different story about who she really is. Is she a sweet girl? A seductress? A bomb in a cocktail dress? This kaleidoscopic courtroom thriller is The Silent Patient meets Gone Girl, with a smart feminist lens on how women are dissected and devoured by public scrutiny.
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Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez
Ingrid hasn’t heard from Mayra in years, but one call, one invitation, and suddenly she’s driving through the Everglades, cell signal dying, toward a house that feels more like a trap than a getaway. What starts as a nostalgic reunion with her magnetic childhood best friend quickly devolves into a psychological maze of eerie luxury, biting tension, and unsettling intimacy. Mayra’s new boyfriend Benji adds an unpredictable energy to the trio, and as secrets surface, Ingrid’s sense of reality begins to unravel.
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Matchmaking for Psychopaths by Tasha Coryell
Alexandra isn’t just unlucky in love, she’s catastrophically cursed. After her best friend and boyfriend blow up her birthday with a betrayal of epic proportions, Alex spirals. Enter Rebecca: a mysterious client from her matchmaking business for people who score high on the psychopathy scale. Rebecca is magnetic, intense… and maybe just the friend Alex needs right now. But then bodies start dropping, her ex turns up dead, and her new bestie might be more interested in a murder pact than a mani-pedi. Matchmaking for Psychopaths is sharp, darkly hilarious, and just deranged enough to keep you guessing.
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