Some thrillers give you a fun mystery to solve. Some are full of revenge, which I always support. But these are the ones that make you question whether you should keep reading.
I recommend all these books, but I am being very literal when I say they are dark. Heavy material, disturbing situations, and in some cases graphic violence. Check the content warnings for whichever one you're considering. This is not the gentle end of my recommendation shelf.
Still here? Okay. Let's make some questionable reading plans. But first, I spoke with Rebekah Faubion this week on the podcast.
"What if somebody calls you a nightmare so many times, you actually become one?"
- Rebekah Faubion
Rebekah Faubion is the author of The Lovers, The Sun and the Moon, Lost Girls of Hollow Lake, and her first adult horror novel, What a Nightmare. Rebekah's work moves from queer romance into YA suspense and adult horror. She puts complicated women and their desires at the center, and her stories keep circling how small we make ourselves to fit into other people's boxes.
Rebekah tells me about being a spooky kid in the Christian church, coming out after 30, and the Hunger Games read that finally gave her permission to write novels. We talk about the time she almost quit, the Wattpad book that hit a million reads, and pitching Lost Girls of Hollow Lake as her own Yellowjackets. Then we get into What a Nightmare. The idea hit her at 4 a.m.: a girl called a nightmare so many times she actually becomes one. She opens up about the hypnotherapy behind Haven's trauma box, why she calls it an angry book, and writing revenge without pretending violence is justice.
Plus, a first look at A Darkness Lives There, her June 2027 YA novel she pitches as The Haunting of Hill House meets A Good Girl's Guide to Murder in a Gilmore Girls town.
Listen to my full conversation with Rebekah Faubion.
Now for the recs.
Find all these books on my shelf here
The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison
A man kidnaps young women and turns them into his “butterflies.” This was hard to read and almost impossible to put down in equal measure. Very dark, very heavy, and a book I highly recommend when you're looking for something deeply unsettling. Please do not interpret “couldn't put it down” as “had a relaxing time.”
Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
A woman discovers her husband is not who she thought he was. Which sounds like a familiar thriller setup until Karin Slaughter takes it into dark places. This is gruesome, graphic, and so good. It also had me looking at my own husband like, can I actually trust you? A completely reasonable side effect of my reading choices.
The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead
I’ve read all Ashley Winstead’s books, and this is the darkest. A cult thriller with a twisty feminist take on a despicable patriarchy, and totally addictive. If your reaction to that description is “sounds horrifying, tell me more,” you and I are the same.
Gray After Dark by Noelle W. Ihli
A woman is kidnapped by two men living off the grid, and what follows is terrifying. Some thrillers feel comfortably distant from real life. This gave me the feeling that I should never leave my house again. Which is inconvenient, but apparently not enough to stop me recommending it.
What's the most disturbing thriller you've read that you would still recommend?
Hit reply and tell me. A spoiler-free explanation of how badly it messed with you is also welcome.
Rachel xo
Host of Talking Horror Podcast