The CrimeReads editors make their picks for the best psychological thrillers of the month.Article continues after advertisement
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Lisa Jewell, It Could Have Been Her
(Atria)
Lisa Jewell’s books have become some of my go-to recommendations in recent years, with their suspenseful plotting, thoughtful characterizations, and deep respect for both the chaos and kindness of humanity. In Jewell’s newest, a woman finds a stray dog, and finds herself at the site of a traumatic incident from her youth when returning the lost animal. What happened at that house, all those years before? Why had the dog gone missing, and why was he found so far from home? And what secrets are the current residents hiding? While Jewell’s recent oeuvre is hardly light-hearted, It Could Have Been Her is the darkest in a while; the novel includes some truly toxic family dynamics, although I can promise that the dog turns out perfectly fine. Also, if you’re scared of clowns, this is not the book for you. –MO
