Obsession in Psychological Thrillers
Where do you draw the line between an innocuous infatuation and a delusion you’d kill for? These different crime fiction novels explore that line from a variety of points of view to show just how far people are willing to go to fulfill a range of obsessions. A disturbing fixation on a true-crime story becomes the design for a killing spree. One woman’s fascination with a coworker was a coping mechanism, but her coworker’s death forced her to re-evaluate their relationship. Read past the opening lines, and you will definitely become obsessed with these startling crime fiction novels.
Bestselling author James Patterson teams up with James O. Born to bring us a psychological thriller about a killer targeting young women in New York City. When he becomes obsessed with Michael Bennett’s oldest daughter, Michael Bennett’s own obsession with keeping his family safe will be tested.
Sloan will do anything for those she loves and does so every single day when she gets caught up with Asa Jackson, an alluring and notorious drug trafficker. He becomes a lifeline she clings to, even if that means compromising her morals. She was at rock bottom trying to pay for her brother’s care before she met Asa. As she becomes more reliant on him, he in turn becomes disturbingly obsessed with her. When Sloan starts developing an immediate attraction with undercover DEA agent Carter, they’ll both have to figure a way out before Asa finds out and kills him.
Katrina Kim’s obsession with Kurt, her co-worker, is just one of her coping mechanisms from the life of a slightly unhinged, broke, woman who’s the black sheep of her family. Like her constant shape and number ritual. Or how scenes from her favorite children’s book bleed into her vision when she’s anxious or stressed. Her life crumbles when she receives a cryptic message from Kurt, implying that he’s aware if her surveillance. She accidentally becomes a witness to Kurt’s suicide but not before he tells her that his death is all her fault. Horrified, Katrina combs through the clues she’s collected about Kurt and realizes he’s been watching her just as much as she has of him. Liar, Dreamer, Thief, is an intimate portrayal of life’s complexities and a sensitive exploration of mental health.
A mesmerizing debut about a coolly manipulative woman and a wealthy "golden couple," from a stunning new voice in psychological suspense.
Amber Patterson is fed up. She’s tired of being a nobody: a plain, invisible woman who blends into the background. She deserves more—a life of money and power like the one blond-haired, blue-eyed goddess Daphne Parrish takes for granted.
To everyone in the exclusive town of Bishops Harbor, Connecticut, Daphne—a socialite and philanthropist—and her real-estate mogul husband, Jackson, are a couple straight out of a fairy tale.
Amber’s envy could eat her alive . . . if she didn't have a plan. Amber uses Daphne’s compassion and caring to insinuate herself into the family’s life—the first step in a meticulous scheme to undermine her. Before long, Amber is Daphne’s closest confidante, traveling to Europe with the Parrishes and their lovely young daughters, and growing closer to Jackson. But a skeleton from her past may undermine everything that Amber has worked towards, and if it is discovered, her well-laid plan may fall to pieces.
After a lifetime spent in and out of hospitals, Zoey Wright is tired of playing it safe. She’s ready to take charge of her own life and get out of her comfort zone, starting with a new job as a CSI agent. But when her childhood crush Knox Steele gets pulled onto her case, Zoey needs to put her feelings for him aside or more women will die at the hands of the serial killer preying on her hometown.
Former Army Ranger Knox Steele is back in Washington to help his brothers open an elite private security firm. He never expected to stumble onto a crime scene, or see his best friend’s little sister working it. Zoey is all grown up now, and the attraction between them is electric, despite his best efforts to resist it. But all that changes for Knox when he realizes the victims have one thing in common . . . and Zoey might be next.
You’re back home after four years working abroad, new husband in tow. You’re keen to find a place of your own. But for now, you’re crashing in your big brother’s spare room.
That’s when you meet the man next door. He’s the head teacher at the local school. Twice your age. Extraordinarily attractive.
You find yourself watching him. All the time. But you never dreamed that your innocent crush might become a deadly obsession.
Or that someone is watching you.
Miranda's sister, Kerri, has a new boyfriend. He's a raven-haired, handsome charmer who seems to dote on Kerri. But Brendan isn't the man he says he is. Miranda should know, because she broke off her own affair with him just a few weeks ago when she found him reading her diary.
Now Brendan claims that it was he who ended their short-lived relationship—and everyone believes him. When he and Kerri announce their engagement, Miranda's parents are thrilled for their shyer, less confident daughter. Then Kerri and Brendan beg Miranda to let them live in her apartment until their new home is ready. Against her better judgment, Miranda agrees.
Like a virus, Brendan starts spreading destruction throughout her life. He invades her privacy and disrupts her relationships with her family and friends. And then the real nightmare begins.…
Like the obscenities he whispers into her ear, his onslaughts are as undetectable as they are devastating. Those closest to her begin to doubt her mental stability and accuse her of the very thing she believes drives Brendan: obsession. When Miranda decides to take off the gloves, fight back, and discover what is behind her enemy's bemused, secret smile, the consequences will be terrifying.
Juliette finally has it all. Great friends. An exciting new job that sends her to exotic locations all over the world. Best of all, she has a good, decent man who loves her, who wants to spend the rest of his life with her…
He just won’t admit it.
But Juliette’s not worried. After all, fate brought them together in the first place. If she and Nate are meant to be, they can weather any storm—even this break-up they’re going through now. Nate thought things had been moving too fast, getting too intense. All he needed was some space, though. Now that six months have passed since that awful night, it’s time for Juliette to put her plan into action.
It takes some convincing: cleaning his apartment while he’s out, leaving behind his favorite foods…little things to make him realize how badly he misses her. Once he sees Juliette has this perfect new life—and broken free from her dark past—he won’t ignore her anymore. Especially now that she’s working for his airline.
She’s not going to let him go so easily. Because their love is like a dream that never dies.
Even when it turns out to be a nightmare.
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Emily Hoang is a writer and editor, who is obsessed with haunted houses, ghosts, and dreams. More info can be found on her website.