If you love nail-biting thrillers books then you must have surely read Verity by Colleen Hoover. Here is the most comprehensive list of thriller books like Verity.
Colleen Hoover’s Verity is a striking departure from her repertoire of novels and novellas which are usually romantic in nature. Verity, on the other hand, is a psychological thriller that follows Lowen, a struggling writer who is offered an opportunity to finish a successful author’s book series.
As Lowen delves into Verity’s unfinished manuscript, she uncovers dark and disturbing secrets that blur the lines between fiction and reality.
The story becomes progressively darker as Lowen becomes closer to discovering the truth about her employer’s manipulative behavior.
The series is centered around the theme of obsession and desire and how it can influence an individual to make questionable decisions. It also highlights the manipulative tactics that some people can employ to get control of other people.
Books Like Verity By Colleen Hoover
Verity ends on a very ominous note which leaves its readers wanting more. Therefore, we have compiled a list of books that are very similar to Verity, both in their narrative and atmosphere.
This includes books that have unreliable female characters, several twists and turns, eroticism, and loads of suspense. Let’s get started.
1) The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
The Last Mrs. Parrish is an international bestseller that was also Reese Witherspoon’s book club pick. It has sold over one million copies.
The Last Mrs. Parrish tells the story of Amber Patterson, a plain, invisible woman who usually blends into the background. Amber is envious of Daphne Parrish, a woman with the perfect life. Amber plans to weave herself into Daphne’s life seamlessly.
It was announced in 2021 that Netflix will acquire film rights to The Last Mrs. Parrish with Lisa Rubin serving as the screenwriter for the project.
“Will keep you up. In a ‘can’t put it down’ way. It’s ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ with XX chromosomes.”
The Skimm
2) Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn was ranked #1 New York Times Bestseller and even included TIME’S 10 best fiction books of the decade. It was reported in 2019 that the book has sold over 20 million copies.
Gone Girl is a thriller novel that focuses on Nick and Amy Dunne. It’s their fifth anniversary and Amy has disappeared. All fingers point towards Nick, however, he swears it isn’t true.
In 2014, the book was adapted into a film starring Rosamund Pike and Ben Affleck.
‘A stylish, and compelling debut. A real winner’
Harlan Coben
3) The Push by Ashley Audrain
The Push by Ashley Audrain is a New York Times Bestseller and Good Morning American Book Club Pick. The Push is a psychological drama that focuses on Blythe Connor, a woman who is determined to be a warm and comforting mother to her infant daughter.
However, motherhood can be exhausting and Blythe is convinced that her daughter is not normal. And this causes strain in her marriage to a man named Fox Connor.
Audrain has described this novel as a “psychological drama told through the lens of motherhood.“
“Hooks you from the very first page and will have you racing to get to the end.”
Good Morning America
4) The Ghostwriter by Allessandra Torre
The Ghostwriter is Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Mystery and Thriller. The Ghostwriter is a contemporary fiction novel that is full of suspense. It follows Helena Ross, a romance novelist.
In her last book, she confesses the details of a horrible incident. This contemporary fiction novel is full of suspense.
“The Ghostwriter brilliantly illustrates Alessandra Torre’s talent for the mysterious and the suspenseful. I could not put this book down, even to pick up my jaw. This book is an insane roller coaster ride through one betrayal and twist after another.”
New York Times Bestselling Author CD Reiss
5) Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
Lock Every Door by Riley Sager is a New York Times Bestseller and in 2019 Paramount Television announced plans to adapt Lock Every Door into a television series.
Lock Every Door tells the story of Jules Larsen, a new apartment sitter at one of Manhattan’s most high-profile buildings. Jules finds herself drawn to a fellow apartment sitter Ingrid, who confides in her that the building is full of secrets.
“Looking for a suspense novel that will keep you up until way past midnight? Look no further than Lock Every Door, by Riley Sager.”
Stephen King
6) Misery by Stephen King
Misery by Stephen King won the first Bram Stoker Award for Novel and was named New York Times Bestseller List. In 1990, the book was adapted into an Academy Award Winning film directed by Rob Reiner with James Caan and Kathy Bates in the main role.
Misery is a psychological horror thriller novel that tells the story of Paul Sheldon, a novelist who finally gets to meet his biggest fan, a nurse, who is helping him recover from an automobile accident.
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)
7) The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda
From the author of the New York Times Bestseller Megan Miranda, Perfect Stranger is a psychological mystery thriller with loads of suspense.
The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda tells the story of Leah Stevens, a failed journalist who runs into an old friend, Emmy Grey. The two decide to move to rural Pennsylvania, where they both find jobs. However, one day Emmy disappears.
“Both [Gillian] Flynn’s and Miranda’s main characters also reclaim the right of female characters to be more than victim or femme fatale… All the Missing Girls is set to become one of the best books of 2016.”
Los Angeles Review of Books
8) The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz is a New York Times bestseller and was the winner of The Tonight Show Summer Reads.
The Plot is a psychological suspenseful novel that tells the story of Jacob Finch Bonner, a promising young novelist who hasn’t been able to come up with a new idea.
However, a student discusses his plot for his new book and then dies suddenly, which gives Evan the idea to steal his plot and complete the book. The Plot has sold millions of copies and like Verity is a unique thriller.
“Insanely readable.”
Stephen King
9) Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is a Gothic novel published in 1938. Since 1938, the book has not gone out of print and has sold over 3 million copies. It is also A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick.
The novel features an unnamed young woman who marries a wealthy widower. She soon discovers that both he and his household are haunted by the memory of his late wife, Rebecca.
This novel has been adapted into two films, by Alfred Hitchcock in 1940 and by Ben Wheatley in 2020 for Netflix.
10) The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
The Silent Patient is a 2019 psychological thriller that debuted on the New York Times Best Seller List at No. 1 upon its release. It also won the 2019 Goodreads Choice Award in the Mystery and Thriller category.
The Silent Patient focuses on the life of Alicia Berenson, a famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer. One evening, Alicia shoots her husband in the face five times and then decides to never talk again.
“An unforgettable―and Hollywood-bound―new thriller… A mix of Hitchcockian suspense, Agatha Christie plotting, and Greek tragedy.”
Entertainment Weekly
11) The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
An instant New York Times Bestseller, The Villa is a wicked gothic suspense novel that is set in an Italian villa with a dark history. It focuses on Emily and Chess, two childhood best friends who lost touch as they got older and are now reconnecting. They take a girls’ trip to Italy, where they dig deeper into the complicated history of the villa they are staying in.
“Hawkins is the reigning queen of suspense.”
Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author
12) We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Published in 1962, We Have Always Lived in the Castle was named by Time magazine as one of the ‘Ten Best Novels’ of 1962. It is also ranked number 2 on the list of “Most Popular Books Published in 1962.”
We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a gothic tale about Merricat, a peculiar girl, and her family’s dark past. The book was adapted into a film starring Sebastian Stan, Taissa Farmiga, and Alexandra Daddario in 2019.
13) When We Were Bright and Beautiful by Jillian Mcdoff
Written by New York Times Bestselling author, Jillian McDoff, When We Were Bright and Beautiful is a contemporary mystery thriller novel. This book is an electrifying, twisty, and deeply emotional family drama that is set in Manhattan’s glittering Upper East Side. It follows Cassie Quinn who is convinced that her brother Billy is not the sex offender that the police are looking for.
“Two parts Gone Girl, two parts Notes on a Scandal. . .will play with your expectations about who’s the villain and who’s the victim.”
Jennifer Weiner, USA Today
14) The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
Published in 2018, in The Wife Between Us, we follow Vanessa who is stalking her ex-husband’s new fiancée. The book is full of twists and turns that come fast and furious. The rights to the book were purchased by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners.
“A fiendishly smart cat-and-mouse thriller”
New York Times Book Review
15) The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
An instant New York Times bestseller and was Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Mystery and Thriller. The Wife Upstairs is a Gothic classic with Southern charm and atmospheric suspense. It follows Jane, a broke dog-walker in the gated community of Thornfield Estates, where no one will notice if she steals jewellery.
“Compulsively readable…a gothic thriller laced with arsenic.”
EW
16) Yellowface by R. F. Kuang
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang is a bestselling novel that focuses on authors June Hayward and Athena Liu. It is also on A Reese’s Book Club Pick.
While Athena is a literary darling, June is a nobody. When June witnesses Athena die in a freak accident, she steals her manuscript and publishes it under an ethnically ambiguous name. But she can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June’s success down around her.
17) The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
The Paris Apartment is the number 1 New York Times Bestseller. Published in 2022 by HarperCollins, The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley focuses on Jess, a broken woman who left her last job in less-than-ideal circumstances. In order to bring herself back on her feet, she moves in with her half-brother, Ben but Ben soon goes missing.
“Told in rotating points of view, this Tilt-A-Whirl of a novel brims with jangly tension – an undeniably engrossing guessing game.”
Vogue
18) Confessions by Kanae Minato
Confessions by Kanae Minato tells the story of Yuko Moriguchi, who has nothing to live for except her only child. Following an accident on the grounds of the middle school, she tenders her resignation.
It explores the themes of motherhood and power as well as social issues like AIDS.
The novel is written in the form of a diary entry, a blog post, a letter, a one-sided phone call, and a one-sided conversation. It has won several awards, including Shosetsu Suiri New Writers Prize, and the Japanese Booksellers Award.
“A chilling and effective psychological thriller…a reader is almost certain to be caught off guard more than once… Implacable, relentless and stunning.”
Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal
19) Too Good to be True by Carola Lovering
Too Good to be True by Carola Lovering tells the story of Skye Starling, a young woman from a wealthy family who suffers from crippling OCD which has led to issues in her romantic relationships. Her new boyfriend, Burke Michaels, proposes a whirlwind courtship, however, Burke isn’t who he claims to be and it is revealed that he is a married man who is using Skye for nefarious purposes. What will happen when she learns that her new boyfriend isn’t who he claims to be?
“Twists, lies, & cons oh my…No spoilers but you’ll be guessing the ending until the last twisty page.”
The Skimm
20) Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica is a New York Best Seller.
Shelby Tebow, Meredith Dickey, and Delilah have all vanished, striking fear into their once-peaceful community. But are these incidents connected?
Now, after more than a decade, Delilah shockingly returns and everyone wants to know what happened to her but they are not ready to hear her story.
“[A] daringly plotted, emotionally eviscerating psychological thriller.”
Publishers Weekly
21) The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
Published in 2021, The Maidens by Alex Michaelides is Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller.
Mariana is certain that Edward Fosca is a murderer. She also knows that it will be hard to implicate him in the murders because he is adored by staff and students alike.
However, when another body is found, her obsession with the professor spirals out of control and even threatens her credibility along with her closest relationships.
“Alex Michaelides’s long-awaited next novel, ‘The Maidens,’ is finally here…the premise is enticing and the elements irresistible.”
The New York Times
22) Long Black Veil by Jennifer Finney Boylan
Published in 2018, Long Black Veil by Jennifer Finney Boylan is Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of 2017. Long Black Veil tells the story of Judith Carrigan, a woman whose past gets drudged up when the body of her friend Walter is discovered. Judith must protect long-held secrets, secrets which could destroy her career as a travel writer and tear her away from her husband and teenage son.
23) Who is Maud Dixon? By Alexandra Andrews
Who is the elusive and celebrated author Maud Dixon? When Florence Darrow lands a job as Maud Dixon’s assistant, she is ecstatic. However, working with Maud can be difficult as she lives in an isolated house in the countryside in high secrecy.
“Who Is Maud Dixon? has enough twists and turns (really good ones!) to make you dizzy for a week. Dizzy with joy! By the end of the book you’ll start wondering if author Alexandra Andrews might be a murderer herself.”
James Patterson
24) A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh
Published in 2020, A Madness of Sunshine by New York Times Bestselling author, Nalini Singh is set in a remote town of New Zealand. When a bunch of people starts going missing, the residents fear that their town shelters something dangerous in its beautiful landscape. This contemporary romance and mystery is in many ways similar to Colleen Hoover’s Verity.
“Nalini Singh’s gorgeous descriptions of the wild west coast of New Zealand in A Madness of Sunshine add a palpable air of danger to the ‘harsh and unforgiving landscape’ of this beautiful land ‘at the bottom of the world.’“
The New York Times Book Review
25) Untamed Shore by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Published in 2021, Untamed Shore thriller and a coming-of-age tale set amidst disturbing and dangerous circumstances.
Untamed Shore by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a dark coming-of-age novel that tells the story of a young woman embroiled in a web of lies. Set in 1979, the book follows Virdinia who spends her days daydreaming of romance and travel.
She soon becomes the assistant of a wealthy American writer and entangles herself into his glamourous life. However, it is not long before she starts to question the motives of her new employers.
“Untamed Shore is a fever dream of a thriller, a coming-of-age tale set amidst disturbing and dangerous circumstances.”
Book Page
26) Layla by Colleen Hoover
Layla by Colleen Hoover is a Wall Street Journal Bestseller and USA Today Bestseller that is very similar to Hoover’s Verity.
Layla tells the story of when Leeds meets Layla and is convinced that he’ll spend the rest of his life with her. After an accident, Layla recovers physically but it completely alters the woman Leeds fell in love with.
Leeds whisks away Layla to the bed-and-breakfast where they first met to jog back her name. The book delivers a haunting and atmospheric narrative that grips readers from the start.
Hoover effortlessly blends romance and suspense, offering a unique reading experience that will keep readers enthralled until the final page.
“You should read this book if you like: Romance with paranormal echoes, gentle thriller-type elements, mysteries, dubious B&B vacations, plot twists, big reveals, true love…”
Goodreads
27) All the Little Children by Jo Furniss
Published in 2017, All the Little Children by Jo Furniss is an Amazon Charts bestseller.
The book follows Marlene Greene, a single mother who hopes to go on a camping trip in the forest to spend some time with her young children.
As they wind down at night, they see fires in the distance and columns of smoke. And when they wake up the next morning, they discover that all communication with the outside world is lost.
They soon learn that they are not alone in the woods when a lost boy seeks refuge with her family.
“When the world changes overnight, all that is left is instinct―survival and maternal. This tense, emotional, and wholly absorbing book makes you wonder: What would I do?”
JJ Marsh, author of The Beatrice Stubbs Series
28) Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson
Published in 2011, Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson is a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller and a New York Times Bestseller.
It follows Christine, who wakes up every morning in an unfamiliar bed with an unfamiliar man. And whenever she looks in the mirror, she sees an unfamiliar face.
Every morning the unfamiliar man reminds her that he is her husband and she had a terrible accident which has reduced her ability to form new memories.
However, she soon begins to piece together her past and the closer she gets to the truth, the more scared she becomes.
“An exceptional thriller. It left my nerves jangling for hours after I finished the last page.”
Dennis Lehane, New York Times bestselling author of Shutter Island
29) American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson
Published in 2019, American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson details the struggle and growth of Marie, an African American woman, in the FBI. As the book progresses, we see Marie struggling between her honor and her heart in this espionage drama.
Set in 1986, the book hops between New York and West Africa and is inspired by true events. The book was included in Barack Obama’s 2019 summer reading list, named one of the 10 best books of the year by Chicago Tribune and one of the best books of the year by The New York Times Book Review.
“There has never been anything like it.”
Marlon James, GQ
30) Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh
Published in 2015, Eileen is Ottessa Moshfegh’s debut novel. The book won the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for debut fiction and was shortlisted for the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2016 Man Booker Prize.
Eileen was adapted into a film of the same name in 2023 starring Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway. This thriller is a nail-biter and a page-turner with a deeply compelling character study of the main protagonist who is unlikeable and filled with self-loathing.
“Eileen is a remarkable piece of writing, always dark and surprising, sometimes ugly and occasionally hilarious. Its first-person narrator is one of the strangest, most messed-up, most pathetic—and yet, in her own inimitable way, endearing—misfits I’ve encountered in fiction. Trust me, you have never read anything remotely like Eileen.”
Washington Post
31) Sister Psychopath by Maggie James
Published in 2013, Sister Psychopath by Maggie James tells the story of Megan who adored her younger sister Chloe, when they were children. As they grow older, Megan believes Chloe to be a psychopath as she is cold, cruel, and lacks empathy. Under their mentally ill mother’s care, Chloe becomes dangerously unstable and soon the consequences turn ugly for everyone. Sister Psychopath is a psychological thriller that studies dysfunctional relationships and sibling rivalry.
32) Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
Published in 2018, Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell is a New York Times Bestseller.
Ellie was the perfect daughter, sister, friend, and student. She was her parents’ golden child with her whole life ahead of her. Until one day she was gone.
It has been ten years since her daughter disappeared and now her mother is trying to put her life back together. One day, she meets a charming man at a café and they soon develop a relationship.
Before she knows it, she is meeting his daughters and his youngest daughter looks exactly like Ellie. Is she really her daughter?
“Then She Was Gone is a riveting thriller.”
PopSugar
33) Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Published in 2021, Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia was on President Obama’s 2022 Summer Reading List and One of the best book of the year by The New York Times Book Review, NPR, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, New York Public Library, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, BookPage, She Reads, Library Journal.
This simmering historical thriller novel is set in 1970s, Mexico. It follows Maite, a secretary who spends her life seeking the romance found in comic books. One day, when her next-door neighbor disappears under suspicious circumstances, Maite finds herself searching for the missing woman.
“An adrenalized, darkly romantic journey.”
The Washington Post
34) Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
Published in 2017, Into the Water by Paula Hawkins is her second full-length novel following the success of The Girl on the Train. It became a Sunday Times bestseller and was featured on The New York Times Fiction Best Sellers of 2017 upon its release. In 2017, the rights to the books were purchased by Amblin Partners.
Into the Water follows Jules Abbott as she returns to Beckford to care for her niece, Lena. It is a mixture of third-person and first-person narrative. As the plot progresses, we learn that there is a long history of dead women being found in this river.
“Hawkins is at the forefront of a group of female authors . . who have reinvigorated the literary suspense novel by tapping a rich vein of psychological menace and social unease… there’s a certain solace to a dark escape, in the promise of submerged truths coming to light.”
Vogue
35) It Takes One by Kate Kessler
Published in 2016, It Takes One is a psychological mystery thriller that follows the journey of criminal psychologist Audrey Harte who is returning home after seven years. Once she comes home, she’ll have to face the rumours which have haunted her family. That is when she was a teenager, she and her friend, Maggie, killed Maggie’s abusive father. Then Maggie is murdered as well. And now Audrey must figure out who the murderer is.
“…a likable heroine, and between her moxie and sense of humor, she’ll soonbecome a favorite of those who like their suspense less dark and bleak.Audrey isdefinitely a keeper.”
Kirkus
