I’ll just say that I am a huge Thriller/Mystery/Suspense reader, but ever since the new year, every “big author” has published an unreadable drivel. What is going on? Publishers must be pressuring authors to write much faster and churn out more books and editors are not doing their jobs—the books contain so many flaws, logic issues, and so much repetition. Even the prose feels lazy and so superficial.
Alex Michealedis’ *The Fury* was one of the worst books I have ever read; the prose is amateurish, the characters a joke, and the overall narrative boring and cliched. I seriously think his unreadable except for *The Silent Patient* (3.5 stars)
Stacy Willingham’s *Only If You’re Lucky* was written like a YA book, but sold as an Adult novel, and the entire thing was stagnant, and finally, the twists were ludicrous (all 8 of them).
AJ Finn’s new novel *End of Story* has had a very cold welcome (not surprising considering the author’s contentious history)—the book moves at a snail’s pace and is trying so hard to be literary to the extent that the prose hinders readability.
The list goes on on with so many boring commercial thrillers (Karin Slaughter’s last book was horrible and basic too)
On the bright side, Tana French has just published a novel, Paula Hawkin’s (Girl on the Train) will publish her fourth in the summer, and Gillian Flynn said she is done with her new book and is working on some edits 🤞
What are you guys reading?
by jpch12
2 Comments
> and Gillian Flynn said she is done with her new book and is working on some edits
Oh excellent, I hadn’t heard this until now. Good news.
I agree with you except for one thing, it’s not just this past year. I found last year to be pretty sad for thriller/suspense also. Only about one out of 5 or 6 books hit the spot for me, with weeks of meh books between. I’ve branched out to other genres, which I enjoy though not as much as a really good thriller/suspense book.
In my opinion, nobody is as good as Gillian Flynn. I’m thrilled to hear she has another one coming out! It’s been way too long, I was worried she was done forever.
I was hugely disappointed with Stacey Willingham’s latest. The first two seemed so promising. Not my favorites but engaging and good for a new author. I couldn’t even finish Only You’re Lucky. The ages of the characters was a huge problem for me. Her other books had adult characters and I hope she will go back to that.
I recently read Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapena which was good right up until the twist which was hugely disappointing and completely unrealistic. Lapena has always been mediocre at best for me though so I didn’t have high hopes.
Before that I read Appetite for Innocence by Lucinda Berry. God awful book. Do not recommend at all. I read Saving Noah by her last year and was a little meh on it and I figured I’d give her another chance but I can’t see myself picking up another book by her.
What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall was okay. Obviously, heavily inspired by a famous true crime case which really ruins the twist if you’re familiar but otherwise it was pretty good.