Layne Fargo has Master’s degrees in theater and library science. She’s a Pitch Wars mentor and a member of the Chicagoland chapter of Sisters in Crime. Layne lives in Chicago with her partner and their pets.
The Death Row Club (2026) V A Vazquez "The Death Row Club's fresh, enticing premise is sure to draw you in, but what'll keep you turning the pages of this brilliant debut novel is V.A. Vazquez's deft handling of her characters' complexities and complicities as they grapple with how to forgive their parents, each other, and - most challenging of all - themselves. This is my favorite kind of thriller: nailbiting action mixed with plenty of substance, plus a delicious side dish of sapphic romance!"
Crescendo (2026) Jane Healey "An enthralling literary symphony of ambition, desire, and obsession, Jane Healey's Crescendo captures the creative and destructive power of art with prose so immersive you'll feel like you're watching an Oscar-worthy film play in your head."
Blade (2026) Wendy Walker "This addictive, atmospheric thriller cuts deep, delving beneath the sequins and spotlights to take an ice-cold look at the darker side of figure skating. Wendy Walker balances every element in her gripping story with the precision and artistry of a gold medalist."
Love You To Death (2025) Christina Dotson "Christina Dotson's debut combines the surreal dark comedy of Zola with the ride-or-die on-the-run classic Thelma & Louise to create something entirely fresh and exhilarating. The hairpin turns and killer twists of this propulsive bad-girls-gone-worse thriller will have you hanging on for dear life!"
Voice Like a Hyacinth (2025) Mallory Pearson "Voice Like a Hyacinth blends the seductive decadence of Saltburn with the fierce, feral femininity of Yellowjackets to conjure a spine-tingling story of ambition and obsession that deserves to be an instant dark academia classic. You'll be desperate to join Mallory Pearson's indelible art school girl gang - and to read whatever her dark imagination conjures up next."
The Dollhouse Academy (2025) Margarita Montimore "Imagine the juiciest pop princess documentary crossed with the darkest David Lynch fever dream, and you'll get some idea what Montimore's smart, surreal new novel The Dollhouse Academy has in store. But as she masterfully shines a spotlight on everything from the costs of fame, to competitive female friendships, to the pleasures and perils of commodifying yourself, believe me: you have no idea where this wild ride is headed, and you'll never look at your favorite celebs the same way again."
Vantage Point (2025) Sara Sligar "Vantage Point is a sophisticated suspense novel that's as thought-provoking as it is unnerving. With her signature seductive prose, Sligar holds up a mirror to the dark side of privilege and the true horrors of being a woman on the internet, crafting a story that feels like shattered glass: brilliant and exquisite, but it will cut you deep."
This Girl's a Killer (2024) Emma C Wells "In her fierce and feminist debut, Emma C. Wells combines taut thriller plotting with sharp, sassy humor and introduces an indelible antiheroine I'd follow anywhere. Cordelia Black is the ultimate girl's girl, and as far as I'm concerned, she's done nothing wrong ever in her life. All hail the new queen of the 'Good for Her' genre!"
Through the Midnight Door (2024) Katrina Monroe "A gorgeously realized, deeply affecting horror story about sisterhood, secrets, and all the things that can haunt someone, Katrina Monroe's Through the Midnight Door tugs on your heartstrings even as it terrifies you. If you've binged every Mike Flanagan show and still haven't recovered from The Babadook, this novel should be your scary-perfect next read."
Hurt for Me (2024) Heather Levy "A sweat-inducing dark romance wrapped in a thriller plot tight as bondage restraints, Hurt for Me will leave you hot for power couple Rae and Dayton, bothered by the infuriatingly realistic injustices they battle together, and begging for more from Heather Levy's brilliant mind."
Close Enough to Hurt (2023) Katherine A Olson "What's better than revenge? This sensational, sexy debut thriller, featuring a heroine with a voice as sharp as her knife collection and an exciting, empowering story that'll have you shouting good for her all the way to the deeply satisfying end."
The Stranger Upstairs (2023) Lisa M Matlin "The ultimate spooky-season read! Lisa M. Matlin skillfully infuses every page of The Stranger Upstairs with eerie, evocative imagery, and her (anti)heroine, Sarah Slade, is just as disturbing and compelling as the murder-house setting."
The Hurricane Blonde (2023) Halley Sutton "The Hurricane Blonde is the biting, brilliant nepo baby noir you didn't know you needed. Halley Sutton's sophomore thriller reads like a riveting true-crime tour with your smartest, most macabre friend, rendered with such evocative detail that you'll feel California sun on your face and feminist rage in your heart with every turn of the page."
House Woman (2023) Adorah Nworah "An unflinching, unforgettable slow-burn thriller, House Woman reveals searing truths about women's bodily autonomy and the hidden Gothic horrors of marriage while refusing to provide any simple answers - and the novel is all the more satisfying for it. Adorah Nworah is a stunning literary talent, and her debut will enthrall you, incense you, and haunt you forever."
The Writing Retreat (2023) Julia Bartz "Julia Bartz's shrewd, suspenseful debut takes the typical writer's anxieties and obsessions and transforms them into a pulse-pounding, impossible to put down thriller. THE WRITING RETREAT is bonkers in the best way, and it left me with a brutal case of author envy."
Such Pretty Flowers (2023) K L Cerra "A lush, seductive Southern Gothic that's deliciously queer in every sense of the word. Holly and Maura's mutual obsession made me shiver and sweat in equal measure, and Cerra's gift for gorgeous, gruesome atmosphere had me spellbound. If your countdown to Halloween starts midwinter, this is the perfect book for you."
Someone Had to Do It (2022) Amber and Danielle Brown "Amber and Danielle Brown's debut is a juicy, brilliant treat of a thriller that combines sexy fashion-world glamour with salient points about privilege, racism, and the corrosive effects of extreme wealth. Somehow, Someone Had to Do It manages to be both a scathing critique of our late-stage capitalist hellscape, and the perfect mental escape from it. I couldn't put it down!"
The Ingenue (2022) Rachel Kapelke-Dale "Rachel Kapelke-Dale is an indisputable virtuoso of artful, propulsive suspense driven by the desires of complex female characters. In The Ingenue, she skillfully remixes classic fairy tale and Gothic themes to create an enthralling exploration of what the world does to ambitious women, and what happens when they take their power back. Saskia's stunning coda will ring in your head long after you turn the final page."
I Am Margaret Moore (2022) Hannah Capin "Sinister, sultry, and steeped in rage, I Am Margaret Moore is like a classical tragedy remixed with a Lana Del Rey track. Capin's signature poetic, pulse-pounding prose is just as indelible as the ferocious girls she writes about."
The Perfect Escape (2022) Leah Konen "The Perfect Escape is the type of captivating, masterfully-constructed thriller you'll consume in a breathless rush-and then flip right back to the beginning to figure out how the author pulled it all off. Konen keeps the shocking twists coming while wringing nail-biting tension out of even the smallest moments. I couldn't put it down!"
Hello, Transcriber (2021) (Black Harbor, book 1) Hannah Morrissey "Hannah Morrissey's precise, lyrical prose, chilling sense of atmosphere, and talent for crafting sexual tension just as twisted as the central crime make her haunting debut Hello, Transcriber a unique and exciting new entry in the contemporary crime genre."
The Other Me (2021) Sarah Zachrich Jeng "An ingenious twist on the domestic thriller...This assured, compelling debut will leave you nostalgic for all the lives you’ve never lived."
In My Dreams I Hold a Knife (2021) Ashley Winstead "With its compelling puzzlebox structure and delightfully ruthless cast of characters, this twisty dark academia thriller will have you flipping pages like you’re pulling an all-nighter to cram for a final. In My Dreams I Hold a Knife is required reading for fans of Donna Tartt's The Secret History and Amy Gentry's Bad Habits."
Girl One (2021) Sara Flannery Murphy "Sara Flannery Murphy’s Girl One is both a heart-pounding, bingeworthy thriller and a riveting exploration of creation, consent, and the power of sisterhood. Don’t miss this compelling new entry to the feminist literary canon!"
The Darkest Flower (2021) (Allison Barton, book 1) Kristin Wright "he Darkest Flower is a deliciously nasty drama about the dark side of motherhood, with an antiheroine you’ll love to loathe and wicked wit dripping from every line. Clear your schedule, because you won’t be able to put this one down until you reach the scandalous and oh-so-satisfying conclusion!"
Girl, 11 (2021) Amy Suiter Clarke "GIRL, 11 is a chilling, expertly-constructed thriller that strikes the perfect balance between page-turning twists and piercing commentary on the true cost of crime. If you devoured I’ll Be Gone In The Dark, Amy Suiter Clarke’s debut is about to be your new obsession."
The Watcher (2020) (Kateri Fisher, book 1) Jennifer Pashley "The Watcher is a taut literary thriller about desperation, desire, and what people are capable of when they've got nothing left to lose. Pashley's masterful prose makes your heart ache and your pulse pound for every single character populating this chilly, unforgiving--and unforgettable--world."
Somewhere in the Dark (2020) R J Jacobs "This pulse-pounding thriller, [with an]unforgettable heroine, as heartbreaking as she is chilling, and Jacobs's evocative writing makes you feel like you're breathing in the sweltering Nashville air. Somewhere in the Dark is expertly plotted, emotionally satisfying, and not to be missed!"
Behind the Red Door (2020) Megan Collins "Megan Collins is the master of emotionally resonant, deeply personal suspense fiction where the small details are just as chilling as the dramatic turns. Behind the Red Door is gripping and gorgeously-written and, like her stellar debut The Winter Sister, I'm certain this book will haunt me for years to come."
Wonderland (2020) Zoje Stage "Zoje Stage's foreboding sophomore novel combines the bone-chilling paranoia of The Shining with the uncanny suspense of Suspiria. Just as deliciously unsettling as her unforgettable debut, Wonderland is a must-read for horror and thriller fans."
Follow Me (2020) Kathleen Barber "In this twisty thriller about every woman's worst online nightmare, Barber expertly explores complex issues of privacy, voyeurism, and consent while keeping the pages turning with heart-pounding, all-too-plausible suspense."
