10 Best Psychological Mystery Books Painting the Darkness of the Mind
Dive headfirst into the labyrinth of the human psyche with our top 10 psychological mystery books that skilfully portray the darkest recesses of the mind. Immerse yourself into suspense-driven narratives and unravel intricate plot twists that are sure to keep you perched at the edge of your seat, heart thundering in your chest. These riveting storytelling masterpieces are not just about the whodunit or the howdunit, but dive deeper into the more profound questions of whydunit. Exploring the often murky corners of morality, sanity and the human capacity for evil, these novels are a crafty blend of suspense, introspection and psychological warfare that will tear through your assumptions, leaving you questioning your own judgement. Each tale boasts of adept narration and psychologically complex characters, tangled within their own minds, battling inner demons. This is not a casual beach read. It's a journey into the mind's inherent darkness, where nothing is as it seems and everyone has something to hide. So, if you love being entwined in a rich tapestry of haunting realities and human imperfection, prepare for late nights and nail-biting anticipation with our curated collection of psychological thrillers. These books promise thrills so intense, they'll redefine your understanding of suspense. Strap in, because we're about to embark on a roller-coaster of emotions.
『Sharp Objects (Movie Tie-In)』
NOW AN HBO® LIMITED SERIES STARRING AMY ADAMS, NOMINATED FOR EIGHT EMMY AWARDS, INCLUDING OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES FROM THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF GONE GIRL Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille Preaker faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. For years, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed in her old bedroom in her family's Victorian mansion, Camille finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Dogged by her own demons, she must unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past if she wants to get the story—and survive this homecoming. Praise for Sharp Objects “Nasty, addictive reading.”—Chicago Tribune “Skillful and disturbing.”—Washington Post “Darkly original . . . [a] riveting tale.”—People
Author | Gillian Flynn |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Crown |
Release Date | Jun 12, 2018 |
Source | Google Books |
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Price | unknown |
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Source | Google Books |
『Misery』
The #1 New York Times bestseller about a famous novelist held hostage in a remote location by his "number one fan." One of "Stephen King's best...genuinely scary" (USA TODAY). Paul Sheldon is a bestselling novelist who has finally met his number one fan. Her name is Annie Wilkes, and she is more than a rabid reader--she is Paul's nurse, tending his shattered body after an automobile accident. But she is also furious that the author has killed off her favorite character in his latest book. Annie becomes his captor, keeping him prisoner in her isolated house. Annie wants Paul to write a book that brings Misery back to life--just for her. She has a lot of ways to spur him on. One is a needle. Another is an axe. And if they don't work, she can get really nasty. "Terrifying" (San Francisco Chronicle), "dazzlingly well-written" (The Indianapolis Star), and "truly gripping" (Publishers Weekly), Misery is "classic Stephen King...full of twists and turns and mounting suspense" (The Boston Globe).
Author | Stephen King |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Simon and Schuster |
Release Date | Feb 28, 2017 |
Source | Google Books |
『We Need to Talk About Kevin』
The inspiration for the film starring Tilda Swinton and John C. Reilly, this resonant story of a mother’s unsettling quest to understand her teenage son’s deadly violence, her own ambivalence toward motherhood, and the explosive link between them remains terrifyingly prescient. Eva never really wanted to be a mother. And certainly not the mother of a boy who murdered seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker, and a much–adored teacher in a school shooting two days before his sixteenth birthday. Neither nature nor nurture exclusively shapes a child's character. But Eva was always uneasy with the sacrifices and social demotion of motherhood. Did her internalized dislike for her own son shape him into the killer he’s become? How much is her fault? Now, two years later, it is time for her to come to terms with Kevin’s horrific rampage, all in a series of startlingly direct correspondences with her estranged husband, Franklin. A piercing, unforgettable, and penetrating exploration of violence and responsibility, a book that the Boston Globe describes as “impossible to put down,” is a stunning examination of how tragedy affects a town, a marriage, and a family.
Author | Lionel Shriver |
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Price | $14.99 |
Publisher | Catapult |
Release Date | May 01, 2011 |
Source | Google Books |
『Sunburn』
Named one of the Most Anticipated Books of 2018 by Bustle, Popsugar, Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly, Seattle Times, Book Riot, LitHub, BookPage, and Paperback Paris. "Every time Laura Lippman comes out with a new book, I get chills because I know I am back in the hands of the master. She is simply a brilliant novelist, an unflinching chronicler of life in America right now, and Sunburn is her dark, gleaming noir gem. Read it." -Gillian Flynn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Gone Girl New York Times bestselling author Laura Lippman returns with a superb novel of psychological suspense about a pair of lovers with the best intentions and the worst luck: two people locked in a passionate yet uncompromising game of cat and mouse. But instead of rules, this game has dark secrets, forbidden desires, inevitable betrayals—and cold-blooded murder. One is playing a long game. But which one? They meet at a local tavern in the small town of Belleville, Delaware. Polly is set on heading west. Adam says he’s also passing through. Yet she stays and he stays—drawn to this mysterious redhead whose quiet stillness both unnerves and excites him. Over the course of a punishing summer, Polly and Adam abandon themselves to a steamy, inexorable affair. Still, each holds something back from the other—dangerous, even lethal, secrets. Then someone dies. Was it an accident, or part of a plan? By now, Adam and Polly are so ensnared in each other’s lives and lies that neither one knows how to get away—or even if they want to. Is their love strong enough to withstand the truth, or will it ultimately destroy them? Something—or someone—has to give. Which one will it be? Inspired by James M. Cain’s masterpieces The Postman Always Rings Twice, Double Indemnity, and Mildred Pierce, Sunburn is a tantalizing modern noir from the incomparable Laura Lippman.
Author | Laura Lippman |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | William Morrow |
Release Date | Feb 20, 2018 |
Source | Google Books |
『The Butterfly Garden』
Originally published: Amazon Publishing, 2016.
Author | Dot Hutchison |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Sterling Mystery Series |
Release Date | Jan 01, 2017 |
Source | Google Books |
『Little Fires Everywhere (Movie Tie-In)』
The #1 New York Times bestseller! Now a Hulu original series starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington. “I read Little Fires Everywhere in a single, breathless sitting.” —Jodi Picoult “To say I love this book is an understatement. It’s a deep psychological mystery about the power of motherhood, the intensity of teenage love, and the danger of perfection. It moved me to tears.” —Reese Witherspoon “Extraordinary . . . books like Little Fires Everywhere don't come along often.” —John Green From the bestselling author of Everything I Never Told You, a riveting novel that traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives. In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned—from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules. Enter Mia Warren—an enigmatic artist and single mother—who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community. When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town—and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia’s past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs. Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood—and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster. Named a Best Book of the Year by: People, The Washington Post, Bustle, Esquire, Southern Living, The Daily Beast, GQ, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Audible, Goodreads, Library Reads, Book of the Month, Paste, Kirkus Reviews, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and many more... Perfect for book clubs! Visit celesteng.com for discussion guides and more.
Author | Celeste Ng |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Penguin |
Release Date | Mar 17, 2020 |
Source | Google Books |
『The Silent Patient』
**THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER** "An unforgettable—and Hollywood-bound—new thriller... A mix of Hitchcockian suspense, Agatha Christie plotting, and Greek tragedy." —Entertainment Weekly The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller of a woman’s act of violence against her husband—and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive. Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word. Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London. Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him....
Author | Alex Michaelides |
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Price | $12.99 |
Publisher | Celadon Books |
Release Date | Feb 05, 2019 |
Source | Google Books |
『Home Before Dark』
In the latest thriller from New York Times bestseller Riley Sager, a woman returns to the house made famous by her father’s bestselling horror memoir. Is the place really haunted by evil forces, as her father claimed? Or are there more earthbound—and dangerous—secrets hidden within its walls? What was it like? Living in that house. Maggie Holt is used to such questions. Twenty-five years ago, she and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. They spent three weeks there before fleeing in the dead of night, an ordeal Ewan later recounted in a nonfiction book called House of Horrors. His tale of ghostly happenings and encounters with malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon, rivaling The Amityville Horror in popularity—and skepticism. Today, Maggie is a restorer of old homes and too young to remember any of the events mentioned in her father's book. But she also doesn’t believe a word of it. Ghosts, after all, don’t exist. When Maggie inherits Baneberry Hall after her father's death, she returns to renovate the place to prepare it for sale. But her homecoming is anything but warm. People from the past, chronicled in House of Horrors, lurk in the shadows. And locals aren’t thrilled that their small town has been made infamous thanks to Maggie’s father. Even more unnerving is Baneberry Hall itself—a place filled with relics from another era that hint at a history of dark deeds. As Maggie experiences strange occurrences straight out of her father’s book, she starts to believe that what he wrote was more fact than fiction.
Author | Riley Sager |
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Price | $14.99 |
Publisher | Penguin |
Release Date | Jun 30, 2020 |
Source | Google Books |
『Hidden Bodies』
NOW A HIT NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES THE RIVETING SEQUEL TO THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING YOU “Kepnes hits the mark, cuts deep, and twists the knife.” —Entertainment Weekly “Delicious and insane...The plot may be twisty and scintillating, but it’s Kepnes’s wit and style that keep you coming back.” —Lena Dunham “Hypnotic and scary.” —Stephen King “Obsessed.” —Jessica Knoll, New York Times bestselling author In the compulsively readable sequel to her widely acclaimed debut novel, You, Caroline Kepnes weaves a tale that Booklist calls “the love child of Holden Caulfield and Patrick Bateman.” In Hidden Bodies, the basis for season two of the hit Netflix series, You, Joe Goldberg returns. Joe is no stranger to hiding bodies. In the past ten years, this thirty-something has buried four of them, collateral damage in his quest for love. Now he’s heading west to Los Angeles, the city of second chances, determined to put his past behind him. In Hollywood, Joe blends in effortlessly with the other young upstarts. He eats guac, works in a bookstore, and flirts with a journalist neighbor. But while others seem fixated on their own reflections, Joe can’t stop looking over his shoulder. The problem with hidden bodies is that they don’t always stay that way. They reemerge, like dark thoughts, multiplying and threatening to destroy what Joe wants most: true love. And when he finds it in a darkened room in Soho House, he’s more desperate than ever to keep his secrets buried. He doesn’t want to hurt his new girlfriend—he wants to be with her forever. But if she ever finds out what he’s done, he may not have a choice…
Author | Caroline Kepnes |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Atria/Emily Bestler Books |
Release Date | Dec 24, 2019 |
Source | Google Books |
After wading deeply into the eerie, shadowy depths of the human psyche through these astonishing psychological mystery narratives, one cannot help but appreciate the delicate balance of the human mind. There's an undeniable magnetism to stories that pick at the gray areas of morality, that burrow into the recesses of motive and question what makes us tick - these are the tales that don't let go. They linger long after you've turned the last page, inviting you into a thought-provoking discourse with yourself or perhaps a spirited debate with a fellow bookworm. As they unravel puzzle pieces hidden in psychological creases, they unapologetically challenge your perceptions, forcing you to question your own understanding of good and evil, sanity, and madness. These narratives' elegance is in no way diluted by the undercurrents of darkness they navigate, rather it's enhanced. It's a riveting, roller-coaster ride into the enigmatic abyss of the mind, and we highly recommend you buckle up. With unforgettable characters, intricate plots, and some seriously suspenseful moments, these novels are a must-read for anyone who relishes a page-turner with depth. They throw open the doors to a labyrinthine world of intriguing mysteries that are as engrossing as they are unsettling. Dive in, lose yourself, and resurface with a transformed worldview.
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