Lately I’ve been reading a lot of thrillers featuring avenging women, female vigilantes, and women characters who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, so to speak. Check out my post on Thrillers Featuring Dangerous Women.
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If you have a book to add to my list, let me know in comments. (Though I love spoilers, I know not everyone does, so I’m trying to stick to books where a dangerous woman is a main part of the concept, not a huge spoiler.)
Looking for books like How To Kill Men and Get Away With It, Never Saw Me Coming, Blood Sugar, The Book of Cold Cases, or The Collective? This is the book list for you! Here’s what I recommend.
Meet the Dangerous Women of Thrillers!
Before She Finds Me by Heather Chavez
Published in 2023 by Mulholland Books.
When Julia’s daughter leaves for college, the worst thing Julia expects on move-in day is an argument with her ex-husband and his new wife. But a sudden tragedy leaves the campus stunned. Haunted by a dark secret, Julia starts to wonder if the attack was truly random.
Newly pregnant Ren Petrovic is a trained assassin. Ren wasn’t on campus that day, but she knows who was: her husband, Nolan. What she doesn’t know is why. Who really hired Nolan? And why did one woman in the crowd respond so differently from all the rest?
Check out my review of Before She Finds Me!
How to Kill Men and Get Away With It by Katy Brent
Published on October 11, 2022 by HQ books
Kitty Collins is a British influencer, the beautiful daughter of a meat packing tycoon who spends her days sorting through swag and posting photos and her nights stalking men who abuse, assault and humiliate women.
Read my Goodreads review of How to Kill Men and Get Away With It
Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian
Published September 2021 by Park Row
Chloe Sevre is a college student. She’s also a psychopath who has earned her scholarship by agreeing to participate in a psychological study about people like her. When the participants in her study start being murdered one by one, can Chloe and her fellow psychopath Andre find and stop the killer.
You can read my Goodreads Review of Never Saw Me Coming here.
Blood Sugar by Sascha Rothchild
Published in April 2022 by G.P. Putnam.
Ruby is NOT a sociopath, but she is a murderer. But when she’s accused of the murder of her husband, a crime she did NOT commit, she needs to figure out who killed him and how to prove she didn’t.
Check out my thoughts on Blood Sugar
The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James
Published March 2022 by Berkley.
Claire Lake, Oregon can’t ever forget the 1970s Lady Killer Murders. Shea runs a true crime website, the Book of Cold Cases. When she meets Beth, the woman accused and acquitted of the murders, Shea asks her for an interview. To Shea’s surprise, Beth says yes.
They meet at Beth’s mansion, which seems haunted. Is Shea making friends with a manipulative murderer, or are there other dangers lurking in the darkness of the Greer house?
Here’s my take on The Book of Cold Cases
Spoiler Discussion for The Book of Cold Cases
We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz
Published in August 2021 by Ballantine Books.
Emily and Kristen are just two friends who like to travel. But are they? Their trips seem to result in people ending up dead. Accidents, or murder? Is one girl the mastermind and the other her follower, or are these two working together? Check out my review and my Spoiler Discussion, which includes information on the book’s extra bonus chapters.
My review of We Were Never Here
My Very Popular Spoiler Discussion for We Were Never Here, which includes a link to a bonus chapter!
The Collective by Alison Gaylin
Published in November 2021 by William Morrow
Camille will never get over her daughter’s death. She believes that it was a murder, and the person responsible is still walking free. Then she’s contacted by a mysterious group of women who have bonded together to avenge each other’s wrongs.
Spoiler Discussion for the Collective
Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins
Published in January 2022 by St. Martins Press
Lux is struggling financially and ready for adventure, so she and her boyfriend gladly accept a job sailing two women to a remote Pacific island. But their passengers might not be who they seem, and this trip might be anything but relaxing.
Spoiler Discussion for Reckless Girls
Have other books to add to my list? Tell me in comments!
Trying the new and improved comment system 😉.
I love the title of this post (because of the Queen song LOL). Are killer women the new trend in thrillers?
It could be – a lot of murderous fictional women. Thanks so much for doing a test comment and I am pleased to report that you were auto-approved.
I like serial killer stories so I might have to check out a couple of these.
The first books which came to mind when I saw this post topic were Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone and Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye. Both feature female killers although they both twist it, I’m not 100% certain that she’s a killer in Jane Doe but I know she’s a sociopath out to get revenge at least because it’s been a while since I read it. But I know there were some bodies left in her wake in Jane Steele and I know I loved both books for having such interesting characters.
I forgot about Jane Steele! I have not read Jane Doe, but will check it out. Jane Steele is perfect for this list and I will add it!
I came looking for recs after reading “how to kill men and get away with it” which I loved. Will definitely have to try some of these. I also recommend “a certain hunger” by Chelsea summers
I am so glad you enjoyed the list and am going to check out that book now!