2023 Top Suspense/Thriller Reads

With one more day until the end of the year, it seems that suspense should be the next category to tackle before we got to the best of the year! Here are the picks for 2023!

Top Pick: Broker of Likes by Steven James

It has been far too long since I have had a new Steven James novel in my hands. He is one of my very favorite thriller writers for so many reasons. He has a way of crafting characters that are amazing, relatable, and so fun to read about. The plot of this book had me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning; so much tension on each page making it hard to put down until I knew if these characters were going to come out alright by the final pages.

Read the final review here.

Her Deadly Game by Robert Dugoni

Robert Dugoni is one of the best thriller writers around and this newest addition is further evidence of that. The characters and storyline flow freely with great tension that kept the pages flying and my attention until the last page.

Read the full review here.

The Housemaid’s Secret by Freida McFadden

The Housemaid hooked my from page one and when I saw there was a second book with Millie I decided I had to get my hands on it. Freida McFadden is becoming a new favorite thriller writer for me. The way she can craft a story with such twists and turns that kept surprising me was amazing. So many books I read now-a-days are predictable and somewhat boring, that was not the case with these books.

Read the full review here.

The Coworker by Fried McFadden

Read the full review here.

One Last Kill by Robert Dugoni

Fans of the Crosswhite series will enjoy the back and forth banter between the two detectives and how they go about solving this cold case. I would highly recommend reading this series in order to get the most out of it. I will absolutely be reading as many Tracy Crosswhite stories as Dugoni will write.

Read the full review here.

The Coworker

Author: Freida McFadden

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Release Date: August 29, 2023

Another fantastic thriller from an author who is quickly becoming a favorite in our house.

Dawn Schiff is different and she is ok with that. Everyone at the office she works at keeps their distance even as Dawn works to get along with others. She is very structured in her routine, so when she doesn’t show up to work one morning her coworker, Natalie knows something is off. Natalie is top of the company in sales and has secrets of her own she would like to keep hidden. As she investigates the disappearance of Dawn, things get more and more complicated. It quickly turns into a game of cat and mouse that finds Natalie in the crosshairs as well.

I discovered Freida McFadden this year and have been grabbing all her books to go through. The Coworker is her traditional style of mystery and psychological suspense that readers will love. It doesn’t take long to get into these stories and once you are hooked there is no putting it down until the very last page. I absolutely loved the twists and turns throughout this one. McFadden goes about making these twists occur in such a natural manner. I recommend this book to anyone that loves a good thriller with lots of twists and turns.

2023 Top Romantic Suspense

It’s that time of year again! Time to pick our favorite 2023 reads in each genre. First up, is Romantic Suspense.

Top Pick: Brooke by Ronie Kendig

I always say suspense is my favorite genre, but honestly, I just want a well-written story that keeps me engaged with the characters and story. This series is just that and so much more. I recommend this to readers that enjoy a fast paced romantic suspense read that will keep them up far past their bedtime.

Read the full review here.

Havoc by Ronie Kendig

Ronie Kendig has blown it away with Havoc! She quickly pulls readers into the story with strong characters, both with two legs and four.

Read the full review here.

Critical Threat by Lynette Eason

The third installment in the Extreme Measures series is another romantic suspense that will give readers exactly what they have come to expect from this genre.

Read the full review here.

Into the Fire by Irene Hannon

Read the full review here.

Into the Fire

Author: Irene Hannon

Series: Undaunted Courage #1

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: October 3, 2023

Another great romantic suspense from Irene Hannon that was explosive to the very end!

Bri Tucker has put the life of being a smoke jumper behind her after an accident left her unable to stay in the job she loved. Now, she works as an arson Investigator and is looking into the death of a former colleague that had been digging into cold cases. Bri starts looking into the puzzle pieces left behind by the death of one of the investigators she looked up to. With each new piece she uncovers, she finds herself in more and more danger as the killer quickly puts a target on her back. She works with ATF Special Agent Marc Davis and together they try to put the puzzle pieces together before it all falls apart.

Irene Hannon is one of the bestselling authors when it comes to Christian fiction both with romantic suspense and contemporary fiction books. This was a great first book in her new series and I enjoyed it as much as any Christian romantic suspense I’ve read lately. There wasn’t anything negative I can say about it; it was overall a very enjoyable book with many tense moments and good wrap up at the end that also left me wanting more! I can’t wait to see what the next in the series will have to offer. Fans of Hannon’s work will not want to miss this one.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

The Last Thing He Told Me

Author: Laura Dave

Publisher: Marysue Rucci Books

Release Date: March 21, 2023

A gripping page-turner that shows the ugly truth that many go through in this life making for an engrossing read.

When Hannah Hall can’t reach her husband, Owen, she fears something is wrong. They have only been married a year and when a note arrives from Owen that says, “Protect her,” Hannah knows he means his sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Owen can’t be reached and the authorities are not looking for him. Hannah has no idea what is going on and her stepdaughter wants nothing to do with her. With every hour that goes by without a word from Owen, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. Hannah and Bailey must set their differences aside in order to figure out what is going on and be able to make a future they can live with.

I got this book after seeing the preview for the apple tv series that was going to be starting Jennifer Garner, who is one of my favorite actresses. I liked the way it looked and always enjoy reading a book that will then have a movie/show based on it. Overall, it took me a little bit longer to get through the book than I expected. The story was good but little nitpicky things throughout pulled me out of the story making it a slower read. The high points had to be the mystery and suspense of it all along with the characters, especially Hannah. What the novel lacks in certain areas it makes up for in others. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes a good mystery while being able to look past the nitpicky parts that might bother others.

Facing the Enemy

Author: DiAnn Mills

Publisher: Tyndale House

Release Date: September 5, 2023

Just what I have come to expect from Diann Mills, a quick read that is enjoyable and engaging.

Risa Jacobs worked at the FBI trying to fight crimes against children when her estranged brother reaches out to meet with her. She is excited about the reunion until it ends in tragedy with his death after a hit and run. She leaves the FBI and goes back to teaching. As she tries to put the tragedy behind her, one of her students writes a paper with amazing details of how her brother’s death. Risa works with her former partner to track down her brother’s killer and hopefully keep anyone else from getting hurt.

DiAnn Mills is one of the top Christian fiction writers; she is good but unfortunately for me, her writing is becoming predictable leading to similar storylines. The story is good and clean, which I love. Readers of Christian fiction will love the fact that this is a suspense story with no bad language or gore. The characters are good, but I didn’t feel the connection between Risa and Gage, no matter how much I wanted to I just never did. The best thing I can say about this book is the female lead is a good character and it is a good suspense story that is clean.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

3 Days to Live

Author: James Patterson

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Release Date: February 14, 2023

3 new short stories full of suspense and thrills!

3 Days to Live – When a CIA agent and her newlywed husband are poisoned on their honeymoon, she has 3 days to figure out who wants her dead.

Women and Children First – When an Army Special Ops officer is told to either execute his entire family or they will be tortured and killed, he is torn between saving them or having to kill them himself.

The Housekeepers – A doctor finds out someone is targeting end of life patients and the Russians are involved. When the doctor ends up murdered, those that work for her end up trying to find those responsible and staying alive.

In usual James Patterson fashion, these stories read fast and take very little effort. James Patterson is the Number 1 selling author in the world for a reason, his books are fast reads that don’t take a lot of thought. These stories are each suspenseful in their own way with good characters and storylines. None of the stories tie in with the others and can be read independently of the others, so if you are looking for a story that flows through to the next this is not it. If you are a fan of James Patterson these will be fun reads for you.

Bad Blood

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Series: The Naturals #4

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Release Date: November 21, 2017

The final book in The Natural series ties it all together and left me smiling at a job well done but sad for the series to end!

Cassie Hobbes has been a part of the FBI’s Natural program long enough to experience some crazy events and even work on uncovering the truth about what happened to her mother. She thought she knew what happened the night her mother was murdered but now everything she thought she knew turned out to not be true. Her mother is alive and the people that have her are more dangerous than she could have imagined. Cassie must work carefully with the rest of the team to try and uncover the secrets of the mysterious group before anyone else winds up in their crosshairs.

Wow, this series went out with a bang, I loved following Cassie and the team as they worked to help the FBI solve crimes using their special skills. Each book had great suspense and characters that I couldn’t help but love. The connection I felt with these characters was strong and I felt really sad knowing the series was coming to an end even though the ending was very well done.

Jennifer Lynn Barnes has become one of my new favorite authors because she can craft a story and characters that are unique and enjoyable. The way things all came together by the end of this story and tied back through each book was great, I couldn’t read it fast enough. I recommend this book to readers that have read the first three and love good suspenseful series.

All In

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Series: The Naturals #3

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Release Date: November 3, 2015

The third book in The Naturals series has the team working on an active case and the stakes have never been higher, making the suspense the best yet!

Now that Cassie and the Naturals team are allowed to work active cases, they are called in to help with murders in Las Vegas. Just before they leave, Cassie finds out that there has been a break in her mom’s case. While her mind should be focused on helping solve the murders in Las Vegas, she can’t help but think about her mom and what the new development could mean. While in Vegas, they are trying to stop a serial killer that is using a different method every time he kills. There is a secret message in the way he kills, and it will take all the skills the Naturals possess to stop him.

I loved the new development that Cassie found out involving her mom’s case and how it affected her in all that she did. This book brought a little more depth to both Michael and Sloane. Readers get to find out a little more about them and how they came to be in the program which I enjoyed. The series focuses on Cassie, but the other characters are what bring the story alive. This is more of an ensemble than fully focused on one main character throughout. Each book takes where the previous one left off and continues the story. I’m trying to find something I didn’t like about this book and series and I can’t, I love that I’ve found another author that I enjoy everything she’s written so far. I would recommend this series to young adult readers that enjoy mystery, suspense and great characters.

Killer Instinct

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Series: The Naturals #2

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readres

Release Date: November 4, 2014

The final book in The Natural series ties it all together and left me smiling at a job well done but sad for the series to end!