The 52 Book Club: 2026 Challenge discussion

36. Chapters have cliffhangers

What is a cliffhanger? A cliffhanger is a plot device that leaves the reader in suspense. The main character is often left in some sort of dangerous situation or dilemma, or there is a shocking revelation made. When a cliffhanger is done well, it’s so suspenseful that you don’t want to stop reading. It’s the sort of book where you “have to read just one more page to find out what happens next!”

For this prompt, choose a book that has cliffhangers at the end of the chapters. This doesn’t mean that every chapter has to end in a cliffhanger – it’s up to you to decide how many that should be and whether your book pick fits the prompt or not. Alternatively, you could pick a book that has one big cliffhanger at the very end of the book.


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Verity by Colleen Hoover

The One John Marrs 100%

I will read Empire of Storms

Literally any book by Matthew Reilly!

Life Flight by Lynette Eason

I went with The Mapmaker's Apprentice by C.J. Archer

Devil Number 4! I've read volume 6 now, but almost all of the volumes have cliffhangers.

I read Charm by Tracy Wolff - last year I read the first four books in this series and I was excited to find this one fit into a category!

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny is the latest installment of her wonderful Three Pines series, and the darkest and most complex plot yet, I think.

The Survivors by Jane Harper- lots of cliffhangers- I couldn’t put it down.

I read The silent patient by Alex Michaelides

The Guest List

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles. This is a work of historical fiction with a dual timeline. The chapters often end on a cliffhanger as the time line switches back and forth.

Murder at the Palace, by Elliott Roosevelt

G.I. Brides - Duncan Barrett & Nuala Calvi

I read a book by Harlan Coben Tell no one.

Cloud atlas would be great for this one!

Find Them Dead by Peter James

The ​Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer Armetrout. With the way I left it yesterday, the only thing I want to do is keep reading

Adrienne wrote: "The Survivors by Jane Harper- lots of cliffhangers- I couldn’t put it down." Great book, and great fit for this prompt. Although I used it for "Set in Australia."

I read The Mortal Sickness by Andrew Taylor, 2.5 Stars

I liked The Year of Living Danishly: My Twelve Months Unearthing the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country by Helen Russell This novel went month by month for a new couple moving to Denmark. Enjoy

"The Hunting Party" by Lucy Foley

Fool Moon by Jim Butcher

I read Charlotte Löwensköld

I read The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

Mine was With Malice



I read a lot of mysteries/thrillers/suspense novels, so I have too many others to list.

I read The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley.

I chose to go for my first Agatha Christie here- The Mysterious Affair at Styles. 4 stars

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pines by Blake Crouch. Loved it even more than the series.

Pines by Blake Crouch https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

Annihilation - Jeff Vandermeer, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lots of cliffhangers throughout the book and also at the end. Definitely set up well for the next book (first in a trilogy).

The Housemaid's Secret-sequel to the Housemaid. Most chapters have a one-sentence cliffhanger.

Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War by Steve Sheinkin

This was a hard one for me to read. Vietnam was the war of my youth and a very troubled time in our country. This brought back a lot of memories. 4 Stars

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

The Guest ListLucy Foley

I read Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates

would The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes count?

No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State by Glenn Greenwald 4 stars

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

I read The Lost World, the sequel to Jurassic Park -- very suspenseful, especially as I remembered nothing about the film!

BLOODMARKED by Tracy Deonn is perfect for this prompt.

Mitra wrote: "The Guest ListLucy Foley"

My choice as well.

A Scone of Contention by Leslie Burdette 1/19/23

https://titlesurfingwithtraci.blogspo...

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Sandman (Act 1) by Neil Gaiman

I read Verity by Colleen Hoover

The Hidden Beach by Karen Swan. https://cdnbookworm.blogspot.com/2023...

I read Life of Pi by Yann Martel