July brings with it simply an embarrassment of riches when it comes to psychological thrillers. I know it’s becoming my constant refrain, but there are just too many good books. Here are 11 excellent additions to the suspense genre, all quite thrilling, all perfect for summer reading, and all full of memorable characters in singular settings (especially the beauty pageant—truly nightmare fuel). I hope these keep you reading late into the night, and long into the next day.Article continues after advertisement
Kelsey Cox, Pretty Dead Things
(Minotaur)
Texas beauty queens have long been a true crime punchline, but Kelsey Cox takes the pageant competitors—and the world that created them—seriously, . Pretty Dead Things is set in a tight-knit Texas town slowly being swallowed by Austin’s mushrooming metropolis. On the eve of the town’s long-running beauty pageant, and 25 years after the disappearance of a pageant queen’s daughter tore the community apart, Winter Storm Uri descends, trapping all the contestants with their families. The powerful storm serves as backdrop to accusations, recriminations, and vengeance, for an excellent thriller that doesn’t hesitate to explore the darker side of pageant culture.
