Bookworm Cottage Style

Summer means pleasure reading, and one of the most fun genres to stay up late with or tuck into the pool bag is a thriller. I have a weak stomach for disturbing content, so legal and political thrillers are much more well represented on this list than murder/serial killer thrillers, though there’s a little bit of something for everyone.

American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson (2019, 292 pages)  // I really liked this one! American Spy is not your average fluffy suspense read — it is a sharp book about African geopolitics and intelligence work set primarily in the 1980s. Marie is the only Black woman working in her primarily male, primarily white FBI department and is continually underestimated by her colleagues. When the opportunity comes up to transition into intelligence work, she jumps on it, quickly using her skills to infiltrate the government of Burkina Faso. The deeper Marie gets into her cover, the more she questions the moral compass of the mission and where her allegiances lie. This a great twisty book that will make you think. I cannot believe that it’s not a movie, as I feel like this story was made for the big screen.

I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai (2023; 448 pages) // This is a very timely, very suspenseful page-turner about a podcaster who investigates the murder of her boarding school roommate roughly 20 years later. The book tackles a lot of timely #metoo topics including power, consent, privacy, and the commodification of true crime. But also, it is just a gripping book that I was not able to put down. 

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan (2022, 464 pages) // This is a fast-paced, twisty legal thriller about a teenage boy accused of murdering his high school girlfriend. As secrets from characters’ pasts surface and we piece together what really happened that day, Jodi Picoult and co-author Jennifer Finney Boylan challenge us to confront our own biases and ignorances. I cannot say more without giving things away, but just know that this is a fantastic book! Be warned that there are references to domestic violence in almost every chapter. However, this is not a book that I would necessarily call disturbing or overly violent, and the tension is balanced with a surprising amount of empathy.

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll (2023, 384 pages) // This is a fantastic thriller inspired by the real life serial killings by you-know-who in the 1970s. I love that this book gave agency and power back to the victims and survivors, casting the serial killer as a backup character and not once mentioning him by his infamous name. This book was on the cusp of being too scary for me — I’d rank it similarly to Notes on An Execution in terms of creepiness. If you like thrillers, this is an incredibly page-turning, empowering feminist read.

The President’s Daughter by Bill Clinton and James Patterson (2021, 594 pages) // This is one of those action-packed thrillers that kept me up past my bedtime. Although the book is co-authored by one of the most recognizable figures of the Democratic party, The President’s Daughter is a decidedly non-partisan story about a gun-toting New Hampshire-based former president who goes on an off-the-books mission to take out some terrorists and save his kidnapped daughter. After a particularly gruesome scene about halfway through the book I was tempted to abandon it. However, I’m so glad I stuck it out, as I found the second half of the book to be even more suspenseful and engaging. Hollywood, can we get a film adaptation, please?!

While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams (2021, 367 pages)  // No one can take the pulse of democracy better than grassroots political organizer Stacey Abrams. Her debut political thriller is as smart, timely, and well-paced as one would expect. This legal thriller is about a young law clerk who uncovers secret research on a high-profile case facing the supreme court that one of the supreme court justices had been investigating shortly before he fell into a mysterious coma. Fans of John Grisham, Brad Meltzer, or Bill and Hillary Clinton’s latest fiction collaborations will definitely enjoy this smart, suspenseful novel.

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd (2022, 392 pages) // I loved this book! When a young cartographer’s father is found dead with a seemingly worthless map, our protagonist realizes that the map might be more valuable than she originally thought, and may hold the key to family secrets she could have never imagined. The combination of adventure, mystery, and magical realism brought to mind the type of stories I enjoyed growing up. A fun and cozy book that would be great for anyone looking to get out of a reading rut! I especially recommend this if you enjoyed Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan.

The Trees by Percival Everett (2021, 309 pages) // This darkly entertaining, compulsively readable thriller confronts the disturbing legacy of racial violence in the US. Set in present day Mississippi, this story is about detectives investigating a series of brutal murders that all seem to evoke commentary on the history of lynching and racial violence. Although this complex book packs a punch, it it slim and fast-paced — I read it in a single evening.

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (2024; 608 pages) // This was, without question, my favorite book of 2024. Patch and Saint are both outcasts in their small Missouri town and they become fast friends. When they’re about 13 or so, Patch sees Misty, the popular girl at their school, being abducted. Patch intervenes and manages to save Misty, but tragedy unfolds nonetheless. This book spans decades (kind of giving Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow) as the main characters search obsessively for answers, closure, and hope. Yes, this is a serial killer thriller, but first and foremost it is a smart, character-driven book. It took me about 200 pages or so to really settle in, but the plot becomes so engaging, twisty and rewarding that I read the final 350 pages in a single sitting because I was literally unable to put the book down. Just wow! If you enjoy literary thrillers and/or you need a (creepy!) page turner to get you out of a reading rut, I can’t recommend this highly enough!

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (2023, 448 pages) // This is a really fantastic historical fiction thriller and was also one of my favorite books I read last year. The main character, Martha Ballard, is a badass middle-aged woman working as a midwife in Maine during the late 1700s. Inspired by real people and real events, the story follows a murder case that Martha gets tangled up in as she searches for answers and justice. Martha is just an incredible character — so much gumption and self assuredness — the type of character that makes me excited to grow older and wiser.