The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

I love Tana French and S.J. Bolton but I new to the Psychological Thriller sub-genre. Who else should I read. I really like that French and Bolton's books are set in English speaking Europe as I prefer books in that setting. Regardless, I will entertain any title regardless of setting.

Have you tried Rosemary Lupton?

I recommend The Hypnotist - that's the first book in the series The Joona Linna Thrillers 3-Book Bundle: The Hypnotist; The Nightmare; The Fire Witness

Thank you. Deborah, do you mean Rosamund Lupton. If so, they look to be right up my alley.

Yep, darn that autocorrect!

Black Out by Lisa Unger is really good.

Precious Thing, by Colette McBeth, just came out yesterday. I was an advance reviewer and thought it was great.

I love Tana French and S.J. Bolton but I new[sic] to the Psychological Thriller sub-genre.

I have read the Tana French books and the Bolton Lacey Flint books. Personally, having a damaged main character like Lacey Flint doesn't make it psychological for me. However, if you like these books I would suggest the two Fiona Griffiths books by Harry Bingham. Another one is due out next week but probably only in the UK.

What about Tana French? All of her MC are broken and damaged. I consider it psychological because the author spends so much time in the head of the characters and killer. What do you define as a psychological thriller?

I guess I don't see it quite that way. I would consider that Tana French's characters have some issues but to me a psychological thriller would have intense protagonist vs antagonist conflict throughout the entire book. I haven't read anything like that in the 350+ books I have read recently. There are some main characters with problems (Bolton's Lacy Flint to some extent and especially Fiona Griffiths in Harry Bingham's two books). Jo Nesbo has quite a few villains with major issues. There are some books with physiologists (The Hypnotist is a good example) and some with profilers. This kind of classification is mostly opinion anyway and not of any real importance.

Fair enough. The point is, I love Tana French's style, the setting and tone of her stories. SJ Bolton is similar but much darker. I enjoy the focus on the thought process of the characters and learning what makes them tick.

I would recommend Jo Nesbo (Scandinavian), especially The Snowmanfor its psychological bent. I like Val McDermid. I think she's Scottish. Really good stories!!

Try Rabbit Hole. Strong male and female leads.

Try my crime thriller RAGE BEGETS MURDER. "Rage is a stunning example of psychoanalytic character examination and superb story weaving on the part of a very disciplined writer." Heater [ a noir zine], September 2013, p. 10Rage Begets Murder

The Girl in a Swing
Under the Lake
The Butcher's Theater

The Devils' Cradle by Darcy Daniel. See my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

If you don't mind reading about bad protagonists dealing with worse antagonists, Rogue might be up your alley, even if it's the third book in a series.

Marshall wrote: "Try my crime thriller RAGE BEGETS MURDER. "Rage is a stunning example of psychoanalytic character examination and superb story weaving on the part of a very disciplined writer." Heater [ a noir zin..."

Have you posted about this in the group's Author's Corner?

Personally, I prefer Barbara Vine in this category. She really gets into her characters' heads. My favorite of hers is A Dark-Adapted Eye.

Yes, that's a great book. One of my favorites.

I just finished Even in Darkness, by Lynn Hightower (the Kindle version is due to be released on April 1), and really enjoyed it. Here's the link to my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

Ruth Rendell Ruth Rendell writes some of the best psychological mysteries, consider them Brit noir.

I'll mention one, A Judgement in Stone, about a waifish woman who works as a housekeeper for a pleasant if boring family. But the housekeeper has a secret -- she can't read.

What she will do to hide her secret has no limits, not even murder. You sympathize with her situation and ingenuity, but dread the inevitable.

A bit creepy, but realistic when you read about horrible crimes committed by gentle people who everyone thought was so 'nice.'