Fast-Paced Thrillers You Can Binge in a Day

When Lauren travels to her daughter’s university accommodation to bring her home for Christmas, she gets a shock. When she knocks on the door to Evie’s room, she’s not there. At first, Lauren thinks she must have the wrong room, or the wrong floor. Maybe even the wrong building. But upon more investigation, she finds out Evie hasn’t been there for weeks. So where is she?

The Daughter is such a heart-pounding, pulse-quickening read, filled to the brim with suspense, tension and those short sharp chapters you completely fly through. It’s a pacy, gripping and all-consuming psychological thriller.

Claire, Darling is published as Cuckoo in the UK. This book is marketed as a "messed up thriller" and I can confirm it definitely lives up to that statement!

When Claire surprises her fiancé, Noah, at work for their anniversary, she’s the one who ends up being shocked to her core… Because Noah left the company nine months ago, and she had no idea. Now he isn’t answering her calls or messages. He’s disappeared. Claire’s world begins to shatter as the truth starts to emerge.

Intense, brilliantly paced and completely thrilling. You won’t be able to put it down before you reach that glorious epilogue!

Emily Freud is one of my favourite authors, and I still think about this book often since reading it back in 2023!

What She Left Behind follows Lauren who has escaped her old London life, starting afresh with her new partner, Paul, and his children. A ready-made family. Lauren fears she’ll never live up to the ghost of Paul’s wife or help him forget his grief. But when rumours begin to swirl about their house in the secluded woods, Lauren feels isolated, despite Paul’s reassurances. She wants to trust Paul, but how can she, when can barely trust herself?

This book is chilling to its core and incredibly dark. I dare you not to race through this one in a day!

Teacher Richard Boyle springs into action when a former student shows up at school with a vest packed with explosives. Thanks to his quick thinking, Richard averts a major tragedy, but being in the spotlight puts him in the sights of a blackmailer with a score to settle.

I Will Ruin You is a suspenseful, pacy and unputdownable thriller that hooked me in from the start and had me speed-reading until that glorious, unexpected finale. The plot is so wonderfully layered, consistently exciting and always had me thinking.

If you love serial killer thrillers, this one is sure to give you that one-more-chapter feeling, as it did with me! I adored the characters; our main character, Carolyn, returns to Willow Falls as an ex-FBI agent and gets pulled into a murder case unlike any other, not knowing the horrific things she was about to see, or just how much danger she’d soon be in. 

I was fascinated with our serial killer in this one, a repulsive, horrifying predator you’ll fear right from the start, and then fear even more when their identity is revealed. The book perfectly blends a chilling, mysterious plot with uncomfortable, bloody crime scenes and such intricate detective work. Tense, gripping and absorbing. I really enjoyed my time with this book!

This book is so perfectly written in my eyes, so engrossing that it will have you wanting to reread as soon as you finish!

When Emma meets Matthew, a kind, handsome widower, he seems to be exactly what she needs. But as their relationship progresses, Emma’s friends worry she might be exploited. She is rich after all. She wonders if she’s second best, that Matthew wouldn’t be with her if his wife hadn’t died. Could she ever fill a dead woman’s shoes?

It’s a story of love, jealousy and obsession, and as time goes on, Emma doesn’t know who she can trust. Can she even trust herself? An intense and compelling psychological thriller with an unexpected but hugely satisfying ending.

Courier is a great example of a creepy stalker thriller novella done right. If you’re a fan of the You series of books by Caroline Kepnes and you’re looking for a quick binge read, this is perfect for you!

We meet Bob, a delivery driver who develops a bit of an obsession with someone at one of the houses he delivers to. And, well, it escalates… It’s about loneliness and the darker side of desire, with a killer twist and excellent ending. The definition of a page turner!