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Thrillers that frighten Gillian Flynn
On the hunt for your next thriller? Here’s what the author of “Gone Girl” recommends.
Published on April 19, 2024
Reconstructing Amelia: A Novel
Kimberly McCreightKimberly McCreight’s debut earned many comparisons to “Gone Girl,” both for quality and how it explores female psychology. A single mother must unravel the mystery behind her daughter’s alleged suicide.
The Accursed: A Novel
Joyce Carol OatesFlynn told the “New York Times” that Joyce Carol Oates is her favorite novelist of all time. “She is a genuine, sharp chronicler of our times with a remarkable ability to sway from keen modernity to complete Gothic.” “The Accursed” will send a chill down your spine.
The Next Time You See Me: A Novel
Holly Goddard JonesFlynn included Jones’ debut novel on her list in “Glamour” of the dark books that scare her, but she also wrote a glowing review, calling it “simply mesmerizing.” The disappearance of a young girl from a small town unravels big secrets in this thriller.
The Bad Seed
William MarchAccording to Flynn when talking to BookBub, “If you’ve never read William March’s stunning 1954 novel about an adorable little sociopath murderess, treat yourself.” Perfect for fans of “Sharp Objects” and other books featuring creepy children, “The Bad Seed” explores the concept of nature vs. nurture through eight-year-old Rhoda, whose beautiful exterior masks truly terrifying tendencies.
Small Deaths: A Novel
Rijula DasDas’ debut novel “explores the lives of sex workers, in an unflinching yet humanistic way. The story centers on Lalee, a sex worker struggling to survive, and her client Tilu, a broken man who scrapes out a living writing erotic fiction. Das writes of a dark world where abuse and death sit side by side with love and loyalty and grace. The story is heartbreaking and awful and wonderful, all within the structure of crime fiction,” says Flynn when talking to TODAY.
And Then There Were None
Agatha ChristieWe can credit Christie for influencing Flynn to go on to write critically-acclaimed novels like “Gone Girl” and “Dark Places.” In an interview with “The Guardian,” Flynn discusses the impact “And Then There Were None” had on her at a young age. “The realization that every character in that book was evil slowly dawned on my 12-year-old brain. I realized there were different gradations of evil and it blew my mind. I gobbled [Christie] up. It made me want to be a mystery writer, the idea that you can be entranced by bad characters.”
Leech
Hiron EnnesGothic horror meets science fiction in Ennes’ debut. In a speculative future, otherworldly beings from the Interprovincial Medical Institute take parasitic control of all human doctors to protect and perpetuate the species, as it’s clear humans are incapable of caring for themselves. But the Institute is threatened when one of its doctors mysteriously dies. Flynn describes this bizarre post-apocalyptic thriller to TODAY as, “‘The Thing’ meets ‘The Alienist’” and says, “to call it merely horror is a disservice, as it’s beautifully written and so strangely humane one feels empathy for a virus struggling.”
Falling: A Novel
T. J. NewmanCoastal Airlines flight 416 is a pretty routine run from LA to New York, except that someone has kidnapped the pilot’s family and is threatening to murder them unless the pilot crashes the plane, killing everyone on board. In her blurb for Newman’s wild, high-stakes debut, Flynn raves, “Terrific and terrifying, a true page-turner. A must-read for summer vacation — but my advice is, don’t start this book until you’ve gotten off the plane.”
Sunburn: A Novel
Laura LippmanJust as much a thriller as it is a psychological drama, readers will ask themselves, “Who’s playing who?” when Polly and Adam’s passionate summer affair gives way to deceit, revenge, and murder. Flynn’s review states, “Every time Laura Lippman comes out with a new book, I get chills because I know I am back in the hands of the master. She is simply a brilliant novelist, an unflinching chronicler of life in America right now, and ‘Sunburn’ is her dark, gleaming noir gem.”
Since We Fell: A Novel
Dennis LehaneAuthor of bestsellers-turned-blockbusters like “Shutter Island” and “Mystic River,” Lehane spins a web of psychological thrills and betrayals in “Since We Fell.” After a humiliating on-air breakdown, ex-reporter Rachel Childs becomes reclusive and anxious. Only her friend and eventual husband, Brian, can keep Rachel from withdrawing permanently. But Brian may not be as trustworthy as Rachel thinks. Flynn calls this a “thriller that constantly leaves you guessing” and an overall “terrific read.”
Spellman Six: The Next Generation
Lisa LutzLutz caps off her rollicking “Spellman Files” series in what Flynn describes as “zany, witty, and full of dark surprises” and “pure fun.” While less of a frightening thriller than others on this list, Flynn states that, “Izzy Spellman, PI, tops the list of ‘Fictional Characters I’d Like to Meet for a Bourbon,’” which is a good enough reason for me to read it.
Sources
- Gillian Flynn: By the Book
- 2014, The New York Times