If You Love Jaw-Dropping Twists And Turns, Read These Gripping Books

Shocking plot twists, secrets, betrayals, and murders — what more could you need in a jaw-dropping read?

1. The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson

Katherine Tegen Books

In this homage to Stephen King’s Carrie, those left living in Springville, Georgia, are questioned about what happened on prom night, and everyone’s finger points to Maddy Washington. She has always been a main target for bullying. Although biracial, she passes as white, but a rainy day reveals her textured hair to everyone around her, ultimately sending the racist town into a frenzy. The first integrated prom is planned in an attempt to save face, and it will definitely be a vengeful, historical night to remember.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

2. Thick as Thieves by Sandra Brown

Grand Central Publishing

Arden Maxwell is the daughter of one of the culprits involved in a heist gone wrong that occurred 20 years ago; he also happens to be the only one who got away. She returns to her family home in search of answers for her father’s abandonment of her and her sister. What she doesn’t know is that two of her father’s accomplices are watching her every move.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

3. Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Henry Holt & Co.

This YA coming-of-age thriller explores Indigenous culture and heritage — and an unforgettable scandal. Eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has to put her dream of attending college on the back burner when a family tragedy strikes, requiring her to care for her ill mother. Daunis witnesses a murder and is thrust into an investigation where she goes undercover for the FBI. Faced with a new lethal drug and a climbing death toll, Daunis has to decide how far she is willing to go to protect her community. 

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

4. When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole

William Morrow & Co.

Sydney Green is witnessing her Brooklyn neighborhood drastically change around her because of gentrification. New condos and "For Sale" signs are appearing, while the neighbors she’s known all her life are disappearing in very suspicious ways. Secrets, fear, and paranoia are unleashed as Sydney and an unexpected love interest dig deep into the neighborhood’s history to get to the bottom of what’s really going on and why everyone is vanishing.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

5. Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby

Flatiron Books

Two ex-cons, Ike and Derek, are notified that their sons, who were also married, were murdered. Neither father was accepting of his son’s sexual identities, let alone the marriage. This thrilling, action-packed story will tell how these two fathers confront their guilt by seeking revenge on whoever is responsible for murdering their sons. Race, sexuality, gender, and grief are tackled in this thrill ride that will lead to an unforgettable twist.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

6. Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

Atria Books

Readers jump in time between the past and present to understand the whole story of this suspenseful, wild mystery. It’s been 10 years since the disappearance of Laurel’s daughter, Ellie. Laurel is trying to get her life together when she meets Floyd. Soon enough, they begin dating and she’s being introduced to his daughters. She becomes fascinated with his youngest, Poppy, who reminds her of Ellie. Questions about her daughter's disappearance began to haunt her, and she must find these answers and figure out who Floyd really is.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

7. One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

Delacorte Press

Five classmates are in detention together when one of them dies from an allergic reaction. A further investigation reveals that foul play was the cause. The victim was planning to release the juiciest secrets yet about his four classmates on his notorious gossip app, making them all suspects in this murder mystery. So, did one of them commit this crime? Or is the real suspect roaming freely?

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

8. Other People’s Clothes by Calla Henkel

Doubleday Books

Art student Zoe Beech is studying abroad in Berlin to escape the recent murder of her best friend. She rooms with Hailey Mader, and their landlord is a famous thriller writer. They start to speculate that she is spying on them for inspiration for her next book, so they take this as an opportunity for them to acquire the notoriety they desire. They start to make their lives more entertaining and appealing by throwing sought-after parties; however, their nightlife shenanigans and friendship begin to spiral out of control when someone is murdered.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

9. All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris

William Morrow & Co.

Ellice Littlejohn works as a well-paid corporate attorney in Atlanta and has a fun, steamy, and sneaky relationship with a rich executive, who’s also her boss. Then her boss is found dead, and Ellie is promoted to his position. This awakens speculation about a conspiracy, and the police are raising their eyebrows. Ellice wants to avoid all attention because of some dark secrets and a past that she has worked so hard to escape. But even she knows something is off in the way everything about this oddly quick promotion has unfolded.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

10. Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala

Berkley Books

In this cozy mystery, Lila Macapagal moves back home after a devastating breakup and is tasked to help revive her Tita Rosie's failing restaurant. When an infamous food critic — who also happens to be her deplorable ex-boyfriend  — drops dead while eating, Lila becomes a main suspect. Lila starts her own investigation as she attempts to clear her name and get her family’s restaurant in good standing.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

11. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Celadon Books

No one knows what led famed artist Alicia Berenson to murder her fashion photographer husband. It’s even harder to understand why she hasn’t said a word since the incident. The press and tabloids are all over the case and are flustered with the same question — why? This is the type of mystery that detective and criminal psychotherapist Theo Faber has longed for. His determination to get her to talk will lead him down a path of unexpected twists and turns.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

12. I Know What You’ve Done by Dorothy Koomson

Headline

Rae’s neighbor Priscilla shows up at her door to hand her a diary full of their neighbors’ secrets seconds before passing out. Rae hesitates to turn the diary over to the police once she flips through the book and sees her husband’s name. Now she is on a mission to figure out what these secrets are and why someone sought to harm Priscilla because of them. Rae has no idea that she will learn some disturbing truths about those living around her.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound.

13. One of Us Is Dead by Jeneva Rose

Blackstone Publishing

The friendships between the women in this story would not be what they are without competition, secrets, over-the-top drama, and an ultimate scandal. Jenny owns an exclusive salon in Buckhead and knows all of her wealthy, snobby clients’ deepest secrets. When one of her clients ends up dead, she applies her knowledge of everyone’s gossip and joins forces with the police to help solve this scandalous murder.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

14. My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Anchor Books

Korede is loyal to and protective of her younger sister, Ayoola. Unfortunately, Ayoola has a nasty habit of killing her boyfriends. It is Korede who comes to her rescue each time to cover up Ayoola’s bloody mishaps, because that's what big sisters are for, right? Chaos ensues when Ayoola starts dating a doctor from the very hospital Korede works at — the same doctor Korede is secretly in love with.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

15. Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado

Sourcebooks Fire

In this YA urban fantasy, the Bronx has had mysterious disappearances that are unexplainable. When Raquel’s crush’s cousin goes missing and her mom becomes mysteriously ill (and it’s somehow linked to the disappearances), she teams up with Charlize to investigate. They become entangled in an urban legend, the Echo Game, that supposedly traps people in an alternate dimension that exists beneath the city. Raquel is sucked into a wild ride as she plays the game to save her loved ones and beloved city, or die trying. 

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.