Women of Suspense

Last summer, the novel Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn was all anyone could talk about.  It was a well written mystery about the disappearance of a young wife, but it was also a great novel about the marital problems and family issues of the couple.  After staying up late into the night to finish this story I was anxious to find more books like Gone Girl, that featured a gripping mystery that could also be called an amazing novel.

Luckily, there are other authors out there who write the same kind of literary suspense fiction that drew me into Gone Girl.  The ones I find myself most intrigued by are women writers.  These are the ones I read and enjoyed:


What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman
Laura Lippman has written lots of mysteries.  Some of them are part of a series that feature journalist turned detective Tess Monaghan.  Others are stand-alone novels that feature murder, disappearances, and secrets. 

The Wrong Mother by Sophie Hannah
Sophie Hannah's books feature the same two detectives in every story, but it isn't necessary to read them in order.  (After I read The Wrong Mother I realized it was the second book in the "series".  The first is Little Face.)  Each book presents a situation that you can't help but be intrigued by, and then are impossible to put down. 

Promise Not to Tell: A Novel by Jennifer McMahon
Jennifer McMahon has written several suspense novels that feature grown-up women who are confronted with the demons of their past when a crime is committed in the present.  Many of the stories also feature a supernatural element too, such as ghosts or fairies.

The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf
Heather Gudenkauf writes suspense novels centered around children and this book gives the point of view of several characters.  This is one I stayed up late to finish.


There are other women authors of suspense fiction that have been recommended to me that I haven't gotten around to trying yet:

Nicci French

Rosamund Lupton

Denise Mina

Ruth Rendell

Chevy Stevens

Erin Kelly

Tana French


And of course, Gillian Flynn also wrote two novels before Gone Girl.  Dark Places and Sharp Objects share similar themes to Gone Girl.  And of course, they keep you up until the small hours of dawn trying to finish them!  Happy late nights!