10 Books That Could Be the Next ‘Girl on the Train’

By Sarah Bracy Penn

Spellbinding. Haunting. Riveting. A high-intensity, psychological thriller. These are just a few of the oft-used words to describe some of the summer’s most anticipated mystery novels. Hoping to trump Paula Hawkins’s Girl on the Train and Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, fast-paced thriller stories have become a literary sensation. The Chalk has rounded up 10 of the most promising page-turners to fill your summer reading list.

 

  1. Under the Harrow by Flynn Berry

Nora arrives at her sister’s country home and finds her the victim of a grisly murder. An unsolved assault case from her past only fuels her distress, as she can’t trust the police to find her sister’s murderer. What unfolds is a story of grief, obsession and the power of the past from newcomer Flynn Berry.

Photo courtesy of Penguin Random House.

Photo courtesy of Penguin Random House.

Under the Harrow (Penguin Books) will be available June 14.

 

  1. Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner

Follow the story of Manon Bradshaw, a dedicated and esteemed detective, who is on the hunt for missing Cambridge University student Edith Hind. It’s a race against the clock to find the beautiful Edith, who is the daughter of the surgeon to the Royal Family. As she searches for the missing girl, Bradshaw discovers her personal life is intertwined with the case—and there are serious consequences that follow.

Photo courtesy of Penguin Random House.

Photo courtesy of Penguin Random House.

Missing, Presumed (Random House) will be available June 28.

 

  1. Security by Gina Wohlsdorf

Welcome to the Manderley Resort, a breathtaking new hotel on the coast of California. The luxurious hotel offers unparalleled security for its wealthy, high-profile clientele. But the staff hasn’t a clue that their every move is monitored, and over the next 12 hours, each will be murdered, one at a time.

Photo courtesy of Gina Wohlsdorf.

Photo courtesy of Gina Wohlsdorf.

Security (Algonquin) will be available June 7.

 

  1. All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda

After her best friend Corinne goes missing, Nic flees their hometown. A decade later, she returns only to be thrown back into the drama of her friend’s disappearance. Meanwhile, Nic’s neighbor Annaleise vanishes. The story, told in reverse from the day Annaleise goes missing, follows Nic’s psychological and emotional journey to find the truth about Corinne.

Photo courtesy of Simon and Schuster.

Photo courtesy of Simon and Schuster.

All the Missing Girls (Simon and Schuster) will be available June 28.

 

  1. The Trap by Melanie Raabe

Bestselling author Linda Conrad never ventures outside of her home, as she’s haunted by her sister’s unsolved murder. She can’t shake the memory of her sister, found in a pool of blood, and the face of the murderer as he ran away. When Conrad sees news coverage of the murder of television, she plots her next novel to create a trap for the man who killed her beloved sister.

Photo courtesy of Hachette Book Group.

Photo courtesy of Hachette Book Group.

The Trap (Grand Central Publishing) will be available July 5.

 

  1. The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis

As a young child, Elka was wandering in the wilderness, hungry and afraid, when she was rescued by a hunter named Trapper. She learns how to survive in the frozen, desolate landscape with Trapper as her teacher and guide. Now, she’s learned the truth—Trapper is a grisly murderer. Armed with the skills he taught her, Elka must flee from the hunter before she becomes his next victim.

Photo courtesy of Penguin Random House.

Photo courtesy of Penguin Random House.

The Wolf Road (Crown) will be available July 5.

 

  1. I Am No One by Patrick Flanery

When Jeremy O’Keefe returns to New York from a decade abroad in England, he wanders the streets feeling like he could instantly disappear and no one would notice. Strange boxes filled with his internet search history begin to appear on his doorstep, and Jeremy feels like he’s being followed. As his past is literally put in front of him, Jeremy wonders if he is actually “no one,” or a heinous traitor to his country and his companions.

Photo courtesy of Penguin Random House.

Photo courtesy of Penguin Random House.

I Am No One (Tim Duggan Books) will be available July 5.

 

  1. All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage

George Clare, a college professor, returns to his home in upstate New York to find his wife murdered and his three-year-old daughter left abandoned in her bedroom. The police immediately suspect George is the killer. When the orphaned brothers who were raised in George’s home become involved in the case, a complex psychological mystery unfolds.

Photo courtesy of Knopf Doubleday.

Photo courtesy of Knopf Doubleday.

All Things Cease to Appear (Knopf) is available now.

 

  1. Don’t You Cry by Mary Kubica

When Esther Vaughan disappears from her Chicago apartment, her roommate Quinn’s only clue is a note addressed to “My Dearest.” Meanwhile, a mysterious woman arrives at a coffee shop in a nearby Michigan town and charms the dishwasher, Alex. As Quinn adamantly searches for answers and Alex falls for the young woman, we find that the truth will always reveal itself, no matter how far we run.

Photo courtesy of Mary Kubica.

Photo courtesy of Mary Kubica.

Don’t You Cry (MIRA) will be available May 17.

 

  1. Sweet Lamb of Heaven by Lydia Millet

When Anna flees her ruthless and unfaithful husband, Ned, with their six-year old daughter, he launches a cross-country chase to bring them back. While Ned has just begun his first campaign for political office, Anna and their daughter go into hiding in a dingy motel. The more Ned searches for them, the less likely he will be elected, as he takes drastic, criminal measures to find his wife and child.

Photo courtesy of W.W. Norton & Company.

Photo courtesy of W.W. Norton & Company.

Sweet Lamb of Heaven (W.W. Norton & Company) is available now.