Read This Next with Emily Darlow
There are two types of thriller readers: the ones who savour a few chapters before bed and the ones who accidentally read until 1am because stopping mid-twist feels physically impossible.
This month’s selection leans into locked rooms, unreliable memories, layered investigations and characters hiding far more than they admit. Some are clever puzzle mysteries, others are pure psychological suspense but every single one delivers that delicious moment where the truth lands and everything suddenly makes sense.
Put the kettle on first. You won’t be getting up again.
Ward D — Freida McFadden
A locked psychiatric ward. A storm raging outside. And a night shift no one will forget. Medical student Amy Brenner expects an uncomfortable placement, but not terror. Patients begin behaving strangely, staff members disappear and the ward doors are designed to keep patients in and start trapping people inside. The deeper the night goes, the more Amy realises the danger isn’t coming from the patients it’s coming from somewhere else in the building. Freida McFadden is the queen of the final-chapter shock and this one moves at breakneck pace, layering suspicion, claustrophobia and paranoia until you’ll question every character, every motive and every memory.
The Killing Time — Elly Griffiths
Cold cases never stay buried, they wait and then get uncovered. When a body surfaces connected to events long thought closed, investigators are pulled into a web of past relationships and present-day lies. Griffiths excels at building tension slowly, letting the reader live inside the investigation and the interviews, the doubts, the creeping realisation that someone close to the case has been hiding the truth for years. This is the kind of mystery where the atmosphere matters just as much as the solution, and every new revelation shifts your theory slightly sideways.
In Her Defence — Philippa Malicka
Who do you believe when every version of the story sounds convincing? A respected therapist, a vulnerable young woman and a powerful family collide in a courtroom battle that quickly becomes public spectacle. Told through multiple perspectives legal teams, witnesses and those closest to the accused, the novel plays with perception and memory, forcing readers to constantly reassess what really happened. It’s gripping not because of violence, but because of doubt. Each chapter adds a detail that reframes the last, making this a smart psychological drama perfect for fans of character-driven suspense. It is also the new Reese Witherspoon Bookclub book for Feburary.
Marble Hall Murders — Anthony Horowitz
A murder mystery about a murder mystery and possibly another murder inside that. Horowitz once again proves why he is modern crime fiction’s puzzle master. When an editor receives a manuscript that appears to mirror real events a little too closely, fiction and reality begin to blur. Hidden clues sit in plain sight, and solving the crime means reading between the lines of a story inside the story. Fans of classic whodunnits will love the intellectual challenge. This is less about shock and more about the satisfying click when the final piece falls perfectly into place.
The Silent Ones — Anna McPartlin
Some families protect each other. Others protect secrets. Years after a traumatic event shattered a community, the past refuses to stay quiet. When new information emerges, long-held loyalties fracture and people who once stood together begin questioning everything they thought they knew. McPartlin blends emotional depth with mystery, creating tension that builds steadily rather than explosively. The suspense comes from the characters, their guilt, grief and the lengths they’ll go to keep certain truths hidden.
Sing Her to Sleep — Jennifer Chase
A killer who leaves no evidence is almost impossible to catch unless someone understands how he thinks. Detectives race against time as victims begin to connect in disturbing ways. The investigation unfolds through rapid developments, close calls and dangerous confrontations, giving the book a cinematic, high-stakes feel. Each chapter pushes forward, making it incredibly easy to devour in a single sitting. For readers who love fast, tense thrillers where the hunter and hunted feel constantly one step apart, this delivers.
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