As a lifelong avid reader, there’s no better feeling than discovering an author who satisfies exactly what you’re craving in a book. This year, Lisa Jewell and her extensive catalog of best-selling psychological thrillers have been it for me. I’ve happily traded countless hours of my usual evening TV time for pages filled with vivid characters and edge-of-your-seat twists.
When I first picked up a copy of None of This Is True for my book club earlier this year, I had no clue that it would send me down a spiraling rabbit hole of reading bliss. I was so enthralled with the story that I downloaded the audiobook for commutes and, admittedly, occasional listening at the office (emails were finding me very unwell during that time!)
From there, I began a semi-unhinged Lisa Jewell marathon that consisted of taking down her 12 most popular standalone thrillers. I was devouring dark, twisted mysteries the way my mother devours Hallmark movies during the Christmas season, and to help fellow bookworm girlies decide which novel to put on their TBR first, I’ve ranked her best thrillers—from “mildly satisfying bedtime read” to “will consume your entire existence until you know what happens” energy.
12. I Found You
In a British seaside town, single mom Alice finds a man sitting on a beach outside her house who has no idea who he is. Meanwhile, in a suburb of London, newlywed Lily Monrose grows anxious when her husband fails to return home from work one night. Soon, she receives even worse news: according to the police, the man she married never even existed. As Alice helps the man try to recover his past, their storyline becomes entwined with the case of a missing husband and a long-buried local mystery.
Alice, an eclectic single mother living with her three children in a small beach town, discovers a man near her home who has no memory of who he is. As she helps him try to recover his past, their storyline becomes entwined with the case of a missing husband and a long-buried local mystery. Although the ending isn’t as predictable as it appears, I found it hard to invest in the characters due to slow pacing and an ending that fell surprisingly flat.
11. The Girls in the Garden
Grace and Pip live on a picturesque communal garden square, an oasis in urban London where children run free, in and out of other people’s houses. It’s a place where you know your neighbors for years and you trust them. Implicitly. You think your children are safe. But are they really? On a midsummer night, as a festive neighborhood party is taking place, Pip discovers her 13-year-old sister Grace lying unconscious and bloody in a hidden corner of a lush rose garden. What really happened to her? And who is responsible?
In a tight-knit neighborhood where everyone feels like family, sisters Pip and Grace try to work their way into the community’s inner circle. The story opens with Grace being found unconscious in the middle of the community gardens, then rewinds to the events leading up to this unsettling discovery. Though the ending felt a bit underwhelming, it was still an enjoyable read with a beautiful, atmospheric setting and an engaging ensemble of characters.
10. Invisible Girl
Saffyre Maddox spent three years under the care of psychologist Roan Fours. When Dr. Fours decides their sessions should end, Saffyre feels abandoned. She begins looking for ways to connect with him—until one chilly night, when Saffyre disappears. Meanwhile, Owen’s life is falling apart. He is sucked into the dark world of incel forums, where he meets a charismatic and mysterious figure. Owen lives across the street from the Fours family. The Fours have a bad feeling about their neighbor; Could Owen be responsible?
In true whodunnit fashion, Invisible Girl follows the disappearance of Saffyre Maddox, a 17-year-old with a strange habit of spying on her former therapist. As secrets unravel and the community searches for answers, the story delves into themes of trauma, loneliness, and toxic masculinity. Although the ending ties things up a bit too neatly for my taste, I’d still recommend this one to readers who enjoy thoughtful, character-driven crime dramas.
9. Don’t Let Him In
Nina is intrigued when she receives a card from Nick Radcliffe, an old friend who is looking to connect after her husband’s unexpected death. But to Nina’s adult daughter, Ash, Nick seems too good to be true. Ash begins digging into Nick’s past, and what she finds is more than unsettling. Martha is living in a neighboring town with her infant daughter and husband, Alistair. But lately, Alistair has been disappearing for days at a time. Nina, Martha, and Ash are on a collision course with a shocking truth that is far darker than anyone could have imagined.
Jewell’s latest addition to her thriller catalog, Don’t Let Him In, released in July of this year, is a captivating story about a seemingly perfect stranger who enters the lives of a family still grieving the loss of their husband and father. As the story unfolds, sinister secrets are unearthed, and the stranger is not who he seems. It’s a bit less original than some of Jewell’s other works, but this one will definitely keep you up at night, turning pages and searching for answers.
8. The Third Wife
In the early hours of a summer morning, a young woman steps into the path of an oncoming bus. A tragic accident? Or suicide? At the center of this puzzle is Adrian Wolfe, a grief-stricken widower, who, a year after his third wife’s death, begins to investigate the cause. Disturbing secrets begin to surface. The divorces from his two previous wives had been amicable, or so it seemed; his children, all five of them, were resilient as ever, or so he thought. But something, or someone, must have pushed Maya over the edge.
After Adrian’s third wife, Maya, dies in a tragic accident, he can’t shake the feeling that there’s more to the story. I’m a sucker for any Jewell novel centered around complex family dynamics because she writes them so well, and The Third Wife absolutely fits the bill. The story follows Adrian’s search to understand Maya more deeply and, in the process, uncover the truths hidden within his previous marriages and relationships with his children. While it’s mid-tier in the grand scheme of Jewell’s bibliography, it still makes for a strong, satisfying read!
7. Watching You
Joey is back home after four years working abroad, new husband in tow. She’s keen to find a place of her own. But for now, she’s crashing in her big brother’s spare room. That’s when she meets the man next door. He’s the head teacher at the local school. Twice her age. Extraordinarily attractive. Joey finds herself watching him. All the time. But she never dreamed that her innocent crush might become a deadly obsession.
Of all Jewell’s novels, Watching You feels most perfectly suited for a future TV adaptation. Fans of shows like You or Big Little Lies may find it especially appealing, as the story follows several characters in their everyday lives before cleverly intertwining them with a twist I genuinely didn’t see coming. Joey, a newlywed who is inexplicably drawn to the older man next door, begins obsessively investigating her neighbor’s life, only to discover that others have been watching her as well. I read this one near the end of my Lisa Jewell binge, when I was getting a little too good at predicting her endings, and was pleasantly surprised by how fresh and unexpected the conclusion felt.
6. The Family Remains
Early one morning, Samuel Owusu is called to the scene of a gruesome discovery. When Owusu sends the evidence for examination, he learns the bones are connected to a cold case that left three people dead 30 years ago. Rachel has also received a shock—her husband has been found dead in the cellar of his house in France. And then there’s Lucy—after fleeing London 30 years ago in the wake of a horrific tragedy, she is finally coming home. As they all race to discover answers to these convoluted mysteries, they will come to find that they’re connected in ways they could have never imagined.
Though technically a sequel to The Family Upstairs (next up on the list), Jewell crafts a standalone story that doesn’t require readers to know the events of the first novel. Like its predecessor, this book thrives on dark, eerie vibes as it follows a decades-old murder case set in a creepy mansion. I found this one to be almost as good as The Family Upstairs, with a rich cast of characters, an immaculate setting, and plenty of mysterious happenings. Note: This is the only book on this list that is a sequel! While The Family Upstairs isn’t a required read to enjoy The Family Remains, I’d still recommend reading The Family Upstairs first.
5. The Family Upstairs
Soon after her 25th birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life—one that holds the identity of her birth parents. But she also learns that she’s the sole inheritor of their million dollar mansion. What she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well. 25 years ago, police were called to the mansion and found three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live there were gone.
For me, thrillers pair best with cold weather, and The Family Upstairs is the perfect companion for a dark, wintry day. The story follows Libby Jones, a woman in her twenties who inherits a mansion, and the unsettling secrets that come with it. Determined to uncover the eerie events tied to her new home, where unsolved murders once occurred, Libby dives into a chilling past. In my opinion, this is Jewell’s creepiest and darkest novel, and it will keep you on the edge of your seat!
4. Then She Was Gone
Ellie Mack was the perfect daughter. And then she was gone. Now, her mother, Laurel, is trying to put her life back together 10 years after she disappeared. When she meets an unexpectedly charming man, no one is more surprised than Laurel at how quickly it develops into something deeper. Before she knows it, she’s meeting Floyd’s daughters—and his youngest, Poppy, takes Laurel’s breath away. Because looking at Poppy is like looking at Ellie. Who is Floyd, really? And why does his daughter remind Laurel so viscerally of her own missing girl?
This chilling tale is one of Jewell’s most popular works, and with good reason. It focuses on Laurel, a mother whose teenage daughter disappeared abruptly a decade earlier. When she meets the charming Lloyd and his adorable daughter, Poppy, Laurel can’t shake the feeling that Poppy seems familiar. My only qualm with this near-perfect novel is that I predicted the ending ahead of time, but I still found it to be impeccably written and delightfully suspenseful. If you’re unsure where to start with Jewell’s expansive catalog, Then She Was Gone is an excellent choice!
3. The House We Grew Up In
Free-spirited mother Lorelei spins at the center of the Bird family. Then one Easter weekend, devastating tragedy begins to tear the family apart. Years pass and the children have become adults, while Lorelei has become the county’s worst hoarder. She has alienated her husband and children and has been living as a recluse. But then something happens that beckons the Bird family back to the house they grew up in—to finally understand the events of that long-ago Easter weekend and to unearth the many secrets hidden within the home.
While The House We Grew Up In leans more toward drama than thriller, I still consider it one of Jewell’s best books to date. Readers are drawn into an engrossing mystery: what really happened on that fateful Easter Sunday in 1991 when Rhys Bird, the youngest sibling of a picture-perfect family, tragically dies? Told from the perspectives of various Bird family members across decades, Jewell weaves a compelling story about complex family dynamics and the lasting impact our families have on us. The characterization is superb, and I found myself staying up late into the night, speeding through chapter after chapter.
2. The Night She Disappeared
On a beautiful summer night in an English suburb, Tallullah and her boyfriend disappear after partying at a massive country estate. One year later, a writer moves into a cottage on the edge of the woods that border the same estate. Known locally as the Dark Place, the dense forest is the writer’s favorite place for long walks and it’s on one such walk that she stumbles upon a mysterious note that simply reads, “DIG HERE.” Could this be a clue towards what has happened to the missing young couple? And what exactly is buried in this haunted ground?
If psychological thrillers strike your fancy, I can’t recommend The Night She Disappeared highly enough! The mystery at the heart of this novel is simple: Tallullah, a young mother, goes out with her boyfriend one night and never comes home. Authorities dismiss it as a teenager running away from responsibility, but as Tallullah’s mother takes the investigation into her own hands, it becomes clear that the truth is far darker and more complex. This novel is peak Lisa Jewell: twisty, turny, and guaranteed to make you wish the workday would end so you can dive back in.
1. None of This Is True
On her 45th birthday, popular podcaster Alix Summer crosses paths with a woman called Josie Fair. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. Although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast.
My first foray into Jewell’s work was None of This Is True, which I read for book club… and it immediately sent me on a marathon through the rest of her novels! The story follows a podcaster named Alix Summers, who meets an odd woman named Josie Fair, who just happens to share her birthday. When Alix invites her new “birthday twin” to be the subject of her next podcast series, she uncovers increasingly unsettling and strange details about Josie’s life.
About halfway through, I switched to the audiobook, and I can’t recommend that format enough, given the book’s unique podcast-style format. None of This Is True remains one of my all-time favorite reads, showcasing Jewell’s talent for crafting flawed, compelling characters and utterly gripping storylines.
Kailey Hansen, Contributing Writer
Kailey is a Chicago-based freelance writer and communications specialist with a B.A. in English/Journalism from Elmhurst College. When she’s not writing for The Everygirl, you can find her geeking about TV shows at BuzzFeed or covering pet news for Rover.
