Do you love books with a big twist that have your jaw dropping to the floor? Check out my list of Thrilling Books With a Big Twist! And if you can’t stand another moment of suspense and want to see spoilers, see my links to SPOILER discussion posts!
Thrilling Books With a Big Twist
These kind of books were HUGE back in the 2010s (kicked off by Gone Girl, which came out in 2012.)
Then Freida McFadden’s success has brought these big plot twist books back again!
Here are my favorites from then and now!
Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow (1999)
I thought I’d include this old timer since it was just adapted as an Apple TV series.
I can remember being SO shocked by the ending! My Spoiler Discussion for Presumed Innocent is here!
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane (2009)
I love Dennis Lehane and this psychological thriller is a favorite of mine with a truly shocking ending. The movie (with Leonardo DiCaprio) is really good too!
The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen (2018)
The Wife Between Us is a book about a wife who husband has replaced her with a younger woman. It’s a story as old as time, right? Well, this version has a huge twist!
Find my Wife Between Us review with marked SPOILERS here.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (2019)
An ambitious psychologist believes he can get a notorious (and silent) murdereress to talk! This book is a favorite of mine with and ending that will shock you!
Find my Spoiler Review for The Silent Patient here!
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware (2019)
This modern Gothic suspense story features a young nanny stuck in an isolated (yet modern and high tech) creepy house with her charges. You won’t see the ending coming!
Find my review of The Turn of the Key with marked SPOILERS here.
The Wife Stalker by Liv Constantine (2020)
Again, a book about a woman who steals another woman’s husband. Wives who are missing, replaced, etc. are a big theme in these 2010s books! This ending was one that really got me!
Find my SPOILER discussion post on The Wife Between Us here.
Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier (2020)
A frantic mother’s search for her missing child leads to a lot of secrets being unearthed. Who can she trust? Well, the answer will shock you!
Find my SPOILER discussion post for Little Secrets here.
His & Hers by Alice Feeney (2020)
A gripping police procedural, a tragic love story, a tangle of dark secrets! This is a great book with shocking reveals!
My Spoiler Review post of His & Hers is here!
She’s Not Sorry by Mary Kubica (2024)
A dedicated nurse tends to a coma patient who jumped off a bridge. But new evidence throws that all into question. What really happened?
My Spoiler Review for She’s Not Sorry is here!
The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins (2024)
After the death of a famous artist, her friend and executor spars with her gallery over a mysterious work and the artist’s missing husband. The ending is chilling! By the author of The Girl on the Train!
My Spoiler Discussion for The Blue Hour is here.
The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers (2025)
I liked this much more than Flowers’s debut novel, All Good People Here. It’s a sister story, a missing persons story, and has an ending that really surprised me!
My Spoiler Discussion for The Missing Half is here!
Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson (2025)
Law school dropout Jet gets whacked over the head on Halloween, giving her a deadly syndrome. Can she find her own attacker? With the help of a childhood friend, she’s going to try.
My Spoiler Discussion for Not Quite Dead Yet is here!
My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney (2026)
Eden Fox comes home from a run to find that her key doesn’t work and her husband insists he’s married to that other blond woman he has his arm around. But the story is way more complicated than that and will shock you!
My Spoiler Discussion for My Husband’s Wife is here!
Ours is a Tale of Murder by Nora Murphy (2026)
With a plot twist that will make you drop the book, this tale of a miserable wife, a controlling husband, and a body will keep you on your toes!
My Spoiler Review for Ours is a Tale of Murder!
Have you read any of these and do you have any other Big Twist books to recommend?
the only one I’ve read in here is Silent Patient and I really liked the twist. Although went I went to goodreads, I saw people getting disappointed with it. But whatever they say, I still like this one. I wasn’t mindblown but I think it was really, really good.
I think it’s hard to come up with an original twist and surprise those of us who read these books. I really liked the book too!
I LOVED The Wife Between Us and The Turn of the Key – some of my favourite books! Thanks for suggesting others like this, I have put them on my Goodreads list.
I’m so happy! Please come back and let me know what you think!
I have The Turn of the Key, but I’m too scared to read it! Haha!
Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬
It’s a little creepy but not terrifying!
Loved several of these! For a twisty book, I suggest I Let You Go by Clare Macintosh.
Ooh, I read that one. Has she written anything else you’d recommend?
What about He said/she said by Erin Kelly? There was an amazing big twist 🙂 I can recommend,
Oooh, thanks so much. I don’t know that one and I’m going to check it out now!