Books
9 addictive page-turners, as picked by Shari Lapena
When I started writing my first thriller, The Couple Next Door, I consciously set out to write a page-turner. I wanted it to be compulsively readable. I love these kinds of books, popularly called ‘one-sit reads’, and clearly, millions of readers do, too.
When I hear someone say about one of my books, ‘I couldn’t put it down,’ my day is made. Here are some of the books I’ve read that I never wanted to put down.
9 of the best one-sit reads
All The Rage by Cara Hunter
All the Rage by Cara Hunter
I’m a huge fan of Cara Hunter’s DI Adam Fawley series – Close to Home, In the Dark, No Way Out, and particularly the fourth, All the Rage. Set in Oxford, each novel focuses on the investigation of a compelling crime. In All the Rage, a young girl is kidnapped and manages to escape. But she’s hiding something, and another girl might be next. Hunter’s books are full of twists and reveals and great characters, and I highly recommend all of them.
The Memory Wood by Sam Lloyd
The Memory Wood by Sam Lloyd
The Memory Wood was a gripping read for me from the very first page. A bright 13-year-old girl is snatched from a chess tournament and chained below ground in the woods. A strange boy finds and befriends her, but he doesn’t want her to leave… It’s an intense, atmospheric, and truly original thriller.
The Nanny by Gilly MacMillan
The Nanny by Gilly MacMillan
A fantastic read. When Jo was a child, her beloved nanny disappeared suddenly in the night, without explanation. Now, many years later, a recently widowed Jo returns home to the family mansion with a young daughter of her own. Then her cherished nanny inexplicably returns… With its buried secrets, shifting allegiances, and creeping sense of dread, The Nanny is a book I simply could not put down.
Our House by Louise Candlish
Our House by Louise Candlish
Our House was a brilliant read for me. A woman arrives home to find another family moving into her house. Her husband, inexplicably, is nowhere to be found. The way this story of deepest deceit unfolds is just delicious, and the portrayal of characters and contemporary life is spot on.
Skin Deep by Liz Nugent
Skin Deep by Liz Nugent
A favourite read of mine in recent years. The story of Delia O’Flaherty’s life is unflinchingly told, and what a varied life it is, from her impoverished, twisted beginnings in Ireland to her dire end and everything messy, mad and macabre in between. No one writes quite like Lizzie Nugent, and Delia is a creation like no other – one of my favourite sociopathic characters ever.
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
This was a riveting read for me. A young woman takes a job as a nanny in Scotland. She’s a sympathetic but fallible narrator, and strange things are happening in the house. She is soon accused of a terrible crime. A clever riff on Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw.
Dark Pines by Will Dean
Dark Pines by Will Dean
Dark Pines is the first book in the Tuva Moodyson series. Set in the Swedish forest and featuring a deaf protagonist, the novel drips with atmosphere and tension. A body is found in the woods, its eyes scooped out, and Tuva, a local reporter, suspects a link to a series of similar murders two decades earlier. I’m definitely looking forward to reading more in this series.
The Evidence Against You by Gillian McAllister
The Evidence Against You by Gillian McAllister
A real page turner. Izzy has happy memories of growing up with her father. But Izzy’s father has spent the last seventeen years in prison for the brutal murder of her mother. Now he’s out. He’s insisting he’s innocent. Did he or didn’t he kill her mother? I couldn’t put this book down.
Don’t miss Shari Lapena’s latest book, Everyone Here is Lying, which is out now.
This article was originally published in April, 2020.
Shari Lapena worked as a lawyer and as an English teacher before writing fiction. Her debut thriller, The Couple Next Door, was a global bestseller, the bestselling fiction title in the UK in 2017 and has been optioned for television. Her thrillers A Stranger in the House, An Unwanted Guest, and Someone We Know were all Sunday Times and New York Times bestsellers. Her fifth thriller, The End of Her, is coming later this year.
Follow Shari on Twitter.
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I’m a voracious reader but wasn’t aware of the genre of books now called “domestic suspense”. After my first Lapena read I bought all of her books and thoroughly enjoyed each one. Bought and completed her most recent book, “not A Happy Family”, the day it was available. Well written and unforgettable stories. So glad I found you!
My whole adult life, I’ve struggled to find an engrossing book to read. As soon as i read The Couple Next Door, i had to read the rest of your books. And i loved all of them! But there are no more to read, and have been left trying to find authors with a similar writing style or genre and have had no luck; just going book to book, author to author, not finishing any. Can’t wait for your newest one next month! Thank you!
Loved all four books . My new favorite writer. Waiting patiently for next bestseller!
I started out with Someone We Know and knew right away that Shari Lapena was my new favorite author. I’ve now read nearly all of her books and hope she writes for years and years to come. Seriously- if you want to dive into a literary world of suspense and poise, I can’t recommend her enough.
Our house killer ending Brill read
I am also a great fan of Shari Lapena and have read all her books. I enjoyed “The end of her” a lot and it was of course unputdownable!!! I am now looking forward to her next excitibg novel. She is definitely one of my favourite writers.
Read all her books loved them.
Get writing Shari can’t wait for the next
I have all of your books. I read End of Her in a week. It was fantastic! Get back to work!!! I can’t wait for your next! Thank you!
I have read all of your page turners! A stranger in the house, An unwanted guest, and Someone we know, and The Couple next door. I am anxiously waiting for The End of her! Can you tell when this book will come out ? I wish you had a hundred more books out there!!!
Hello! The End of Her is out on 23 July in the UK 🙂
I have read Stranger in the house, couple next door and unwanted guest, After reading one you want to read another and think that is my favorite till you read another one, I can’t even tell what is my favorite. All of them you can’t wait to go to bed and read. I have some one we know have not read it yet. You are my new author to read all of them. Larry King put a suggestion to James Patterson, WRITE FASTER. So much mystery going on.
Just finished reading A Stranger in the house. This was such a gripping read, a real page turner with lots of twists. Loved it can’t wait to read another from this author if this is how her books are I will be a fan.