You know the ones - like Gone Girl, but like...not.
Line 'em up! Wait. Do these features murders at a pre-school? Because otherwise I'm not interested. Source: GiPHY
LAL has decided to bring you the best beach reads you can get on Amazon utilising the genre we all love: Woman somehow becomes embroiled in some sort of murder situation. Is unreliable narrator. Was it her all along, or was it the husband? Spoiler: It is always the husband. Otherwise known as #lalladythrillers
Now that we know what we're working with, what do you wanna devour at your local beach? Let's go!
*All images courtesy Amazon AU. LAL may receive a small commission from Amazon at no cost to you if you use the links below to purchase. Thank you for your continued support - LAL.
The best LAL Lady Thrillers to sip your mai tai to:
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
What happened to Amy Dunne? The OG #lalladythriller. Unless you were in NXVIUM this whole time, (in which case, you have a few things to learn before this book - we have Kmart click and collect now) you may have seen the movie or heard of it, but Lordie this is a goodie! After Amy disappears on the night of her fifth anniversary, the media attention focuses on one man: her husband, Nick Dunne. A 10/10 for mine.
Reader tip: 100% read before watching the movie!
The Nowhere Child by Christian White
Set in good ol' Melbs, this story focuses on a photographer named Kim. When a stranger comes up her during her class, he says he's in investigating the disappearance of a young girl from Kentucky 28 years ago - and he believes Kim is that girl. *Adds to cart*
The Secret by K.L Slater
Everyone has secrets.
Louise looks like she has it all. But underneath, she's crumbling. She doesn't know her family has secrets. Like her sister Alice, who is scared of leaving the house. Or her son Archie, who sees things he shouldn't.
Everybody has secrets. But what if one could change your whole life?
Reader tip: I asked my husband to tell me his work secrets and told him I would only tell 10 people, max. He declined.
Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager
On Emma's first summer away from home, she made three new friends. They played, they hung out - and then her three friends disappeared. Years later, Emma goes back for a visit - but is she covering up the scene of a crime?
The Girl In The Mirror by Rose Carlyle
Twins Iris and Summer look alike, but that is where their similarities end. Summer is friendly, carefree and has a seemingly never-ending run of good fortune. Iris is insecure, jealous and cynical - but when they find themselves alone in the middle of the ocean, is Iris capable of murder?
The Woman In The Window by A.J Finn
Anna Fox no longer leaves her house. Instead, she lives her life through her window, watching other people live the lives she no longer can. She takes a particular interest when the Russell family move in, envious of how perfect they seem. But one night, she witnesses something horrific - or does she?
Reader tip: The movie is coming with Julianne Moore and Amy Adams so you can totes already imagine how they look - just don't get it the wrong way round in your head like I did!
The Perfect Wife by J.P. Delaney
Lallers, this was cooked, but in the best possible way. From the blurb on Amazon because I can't be bothered re-hashing - 'When Abbie Cullen met Tim Scott, she was a struggling artist and he was the brilliant British cofounder of one of Silicon Valley's most successful start-ups. Within six months, they were married. But when she promised him in her wedding vows that she would love him forever, she had no idea just how literally he would take it.' Get around it.
The Rumour by Lesley Kara
Ooh this gives me Big Little Lies vibes. There's a rumour at school - there's a child killer living under a new identity in the close-knit town of Flinstead-on-Sea. But who could it be?
The Girl Before by J.P Delaney
Jane can't believe her luck. Beating thousands, she's gotten the opportunity to live in an ultra modern townhouse - all she has to do is play by the architect's somewhat strange and invasive rules. But after she moves in, she finds out that the last tenant not only looked just like her, but met a mysterious death in the very apartment she now resides in. Is Jane about to meet the same fate as The Girl Before?
*Tip from when I read it: Before each chapter, concentrate: Are you reading about Jane, or Emma? I found myself flipping back more than once to check!
The Wife Who Knew Too Much by Michele Campbell
The first Mrs. Ford had it all - looks, career, wealth, a good looking husband - that is, until she was found dead.
The second Mrs. Ford is a small-town girl who has now become exceedingly wealthy after marrying Mr. Ford.
But who is Mr. Ford? And who can really be trusted?
Believe Me by J.P Delaney
Claire is living in New York without a green card, taking cash jobs in the hope of becoming a famous actress. She works for a local PI posing as sexual bait to ensnare evidence for their wives. But when one of these wives ends up dead, Claire takes on the role of her life in luring the husband into a confession. But was it really him? Who is really acting, after all?
Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson
Man this was freaky - in the best possible way. From Amazon: 'As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning...Memories define us. So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep? Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love - all forgotten overnight. And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story. Welcome to Christine's life.
Reader tip: Follow up with the underrated movie with Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth! A great read!
Playing Nice by J.P Delaney
It's the worst possible scenario - you have a beautiful baby, until one day, someone knocks on your door with a horrible truth: there was a mix-up at the hospital and your babies were switched at birth. In Playing Nice, the families try to counter this by becoming part of each other's lives. But questions begin to rise. What is going on with the other family? What secrets do they have? And what REALLY happened the day the babies were switched?
Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
In a similar fashion to The Girl Before, Jules is offered the opportunity to house sit a luxe NYC apartment, as long as she abides by the rules, like no visitors or nights away. Feeling a bit out of place, Jules befriends another house sitter, Ingrid, who confides that the dark history of the area is starting to scare her. Jules thinks she's being silly - that is, until Ingrid goes missing. And Jules finds out she isn't the first to disappear...
The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
Anne and Marco seem like the ultimate couple - they're in love, have a beautiful baby and an awesome pad. Everything is going swimmingly - until a crime is committed when they are at a dinner party next door. When a Detective comes in for questioning, secrets are revealed - so what actually happened?
Love crime? Find more great mysteries to get into here.
Cover Image: Litreactor
