Madeline’s Comments (group member since May 06, 2013)

Madeline’s comments from the Thriller Chat with Chris Allen group.

Steve wrote: "I love Leverage and Burn Notice. I have also followed NCIS from the beginning - and that has periodic episodes that would definitely qualify as Thrillers, I believe. I used to watch the CSI franc..."

Steve, I love what you said here: "Powerful episodes are more powerful when unexpected!" I definitely agree. I will look into watching Leverage and Burn Notice. I haven't seen either. I was unable to get into either NCIS or CSI, but I also enjoy watching Elementary sometimes.

I am a dedicated Law and Order SVU fan. Also, 666 Park Avenue is airing its final episodes this summer. 666 Park Ave is AMAZING!

Steve wrote: "Madeline wrote: "..."

:D I'm definitely not into gory or similar ;) To be honest I'm very new to thrillers, but most psychological ones would be just below the bottom of my list, I'm afraid. Be..."

What shows (thrilling or otherwise) do you enjoy watching?

Chris wrote: "Madeline wrote: "Julie wrote: "Madeline wrote: "Hi! My name (as you can see) is Madeline, but you may call me Maddie if you wish. I have always loved reading scary stories and watching scary movies..."

Yes! Dracula is one of my favorite novels. I hope I win the giveaway of your novel, Hunter ! I am planning to read, write, and travel all summer. I hope that either Hunter or Defender (or both!) can be on my list.

Sarah wrote: "There's a new Hunter giveaway for the month of June - win a paperback copy here: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho..."

Thank you!

Steve wrote: "Madeline wrote: "American Horror Story is an anthology series. Every season is a different story, so you could watch the third season even if you haven't seen the first two. Even so, I would recomm..."

Haha! Yes, it is pretty gruesome. I like most genres of horror, as long as it is a well-written, gripping story. Any psychological thrillers that you would recommend?

American Horror Story is an anthology series. Every season is a different story, so you could watch the third season even if you haven't seen the first two. Even so, I would recommend starting at the beginning.

The first season tells the story of a family who moves into a house that is plagued by tortured spirits, but it is really about so much more than that. The second season is about a mental institution, but once again the story goes much deeper. The third season is going to be about a coven in Salem, Massachusetts, but, once again, it too will have additional story lines and underlying meanings.

Jim wrote: "Madeline wrote: "Julie wrote: "Madeline wrote: "Hi! My name (as you can see) is Madeline, but you may call me Maddie if you wish. I have always loved reading scary stories and watching scary movies..."

No problem! Enjoy the read :)

Sarah wrote: "Madeline wrote: "Hi! My name (as you can see) is Madeline, but you may call me Maddie if you wish. I have always loved reading scary stories and watching scary movies, so I am happy to join a group..."


Awesome! Thank you for the recommendation. I will find time to read Helen Garner's work and let you know what I think!

Julie wrote: "Madeline wrote: "Hi! My name (as you can see) is Madeline, but you may call me Maddie if you wish. I have always loved reading scary stories and watching scary movies, so I am happy to join a group..."


I read and reread all the Agatha Christie mysteries when I was little. The classics, And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express are amazing, but there are some less well known Agatha Christie novels that I would recommend (listed below).

A Spider's Web (I think I was about 11 or 12 when I sat down on the floor between the stacks in my town’s library and read this book cover to cover before proceeding to check it out to read again)

Hickory Dickory Dock

The Clocks

Cat Among the Pigeons

Agatha Christie is a genius at connecting seemingly random incidents and tying everything together.


Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian novel set in what used to be the United States. In this new society, men have wives, but they also have concubines - handmaids they use to reproduce. The story is from the perspective of one of the handmaids. Margaret Atwood also has a collection of short stories (called Murder in the Dark) that is quite enthralling. Atwood addresses man's abuse of power over woman in her works quite well.


Dan Brown and John Grisham both write suspenseful, fast-paced novels. They are excellent books to take on vacation. Dan Brown’s The Davinci Code Trilogy is worth reading, and my favorite John Grisham novels are The Firm, The Pelican Brief, and The Client. His collection of short stories, Ford County, is also good.


Don DeLillo wrote White Noise. This novel addresses society’s fear of death. It is not for everyone, but I would definitely recommend at least trying it!


Joseph Conrad wrote Heart of Darkness. This is one of my favorites.


Robert Louis Stevenson wrote the Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This novel addresses the issues of duality that exist in every human by describing a series of increasingly horrific events caused by one man in his quest to separate his inner good from evil. It is another one of my favorite novels and top recommendations.


R.L. Stine wrote Goosebumps. He needs to be included in the list.


If you haven't read Bram Stoker's Dracula, you need to read it asap! Stoker wrote this novel in the form of journal entries and letters written by the human characters. The reader gets insight from the humans affected by Count Dracula in a way that slowly reveals what has been going wrong. This is another one of my favorites and a highly recommended read.


Other good stories are The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell and The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark were also some of my favorites growing up. Those are fun to read aloud at night to friends. Albert Camus’ The Stranger is another book I recommend.


I hope this helps!

I think that my first thriller was the series, Goosebumps, by R.L. Stine. Do these stories technically fall into the category?

Also, remember Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz?

Hi! My name (as you can see) is Madeline, but you may call me Maddie if you wish. I have always loved reading scary stories and watching scary movies, so I am happy to join a group that discusses books, TV shows, and movies that fall into this category!

I live in Beverly, Massachusetts.

I love reading stories by Edgar Allen Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Stephen King. I also like reading books by Agatha Christie, Margaret Atwood, Dan Brown, John Grisham, Don DeLillo, Joseph Conrad, and Robert Louis Stevenson. I will always appreciate the work done by R.L. Stine and Bram Stoker.

I recently finished reading The Green Mile. While I enjoyed it so much I reread it, I did not find it that terrifying. I look forward to discovering more thriller writers!

Has anyone seen Grimm or American Horror Story? Both shows are quite good!