Wendy Heard was born in San Francisco and has lived most of her life in Los Angeles. When not writing, she can be found hiking the Griffith Park trails, taking the Metro and then questioning this decision, and haunting local bookstores.
Six Must Die (2026) Victoria Wlosok "Propelled by a mystery in the past, Six Must Die is a charged and tangled adventure. With characters you will root for and want to shake in equal measure, this escape room thriller is an absolute page-turner! Wlosok does a killer job of portraying realistic friendships that are both toxic and wholesome, bringing emotional resonance and realism to the story's propulsive finish."
We Are the Beasts (2024) Gigi Griffis "With a raw and riveting main character to match the setting, this historical YA horror dives into threats that face young women in 18th century rural France. What is scarier, the beasts among us or the beasts outside us? I flew through the last half of this rollercoaster of a book, and the last act twist does not disappoint."
The Debutantes (2024) Olivia Worley "A fascinating peek into the world of New Orleans debutante culture and the girls born into it. With a range of personalities, the girls we follow find themselves in a dark web of danger surrounding the mystery of a missing debutante. Compulsive and page-turning, this will keep you up late, biting your nails over the fates of these girls caught in a patriarchal stranglehold in the depths of upper-class New Orleans. What's been happening for generations is still being done, but the girls are fighting back!"
Under the Surface (2024) Diana Urban "Masterfully suspenseful and with a setting I could not look away from, Under the Surface was a bingeworthy and addictive read! With characters you can't help but root for and a dilemma that will keep you biting your nails long into the night, this is a thriller not to miss."
It's Only a Game (2024) Kelsea Yu "With a protagonist you can't help but root for, IT'S ONLY A GAME keeps the twists coming! Yu keeps you guessing in the best of ways, with likable characters, fully-realized settings, and surprises behind surprises. The perfect read for anyone who likes psychological games..."
One Killer Problem (2024) Justine Pucella Winans "Voicey and immersive, this witty, fast-paced YA mystery was a one-sitting read. With its cast of lovable, well-rounded characters and emotionally charged mystery, it kept the pages turning long into the night."
This Is the Way the World Ends (2023) Jen Wilde "A wild, anxiety-ridden ride through New York's elite prep school scene. Dark academia turns sideways in this compelling, suspenseful, romantic thriller."
The Restless Dark (2022) Erica Waters "A classic Erica Waters blend of tension, setting so real you can feel it in the room with you, and language so beautiful you can taste it."
Into the Sublime (2022) Kate A Boorman "Gripping and breathless, Into the Sublime is equal parts terrifying, claustrophobic, psychological, and cunning."
All Her Little Secrets (2021) Wanda M Morris "Perfect for fans of Alyssa Cole and How to Get Away with Murder, this book deftly carves out a new space on the shelf as surely as its conflicted, finely-wrought protagonist makes a space for herself... Wanda M. Morris is an unforgettable new voice, and we’ve only seen the beginning!"
You Will Remember Me (2021) Hannah Mary McKinnon "Family secrets, small town intrigue, and a decades-missing childhood sweetheart, You Will Remember Me brings the heat in so many ways. Whether you like sharp, unpredictable characters (Maya) or sweet, vulnerable protagonists we can root for (Lily), this mystery around identity will keep you up late into the night! And that ending--we'll be talking about this one for a long time to come."
Call Me Elizabeth Lark (2021) Melissa Colasanti "Close and atmospheric, Call Me Elizabeth Lark is thick with family secrets. The finely wrought narrative unravels fast and twisty to its shocking final twist. A voicey, character-driven thriller that examines the ties that bind. I found myself tearing through the last half, dying to know how this was going to end."
The Lady Upstairs (2020) Halley Sutton "This diamond-blade feminist noir is near impossible to put down. Jo, the new queen of unlikeable female protagonists, exploits the wrongdoings of Los Angeles' sleaziest men in power while frantic to get out from underneath a mountain of debt to a woman--the Lady Upstairs--who threatens to crush her. A stunning new voice in LA Noir, Halley Sutton has set the bar high. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next."
They Never Learn (2020) Layne Fargo "A gorgeously-written ragestorm of a thriller. They Never Learn is a feminist powerhouse that will shock readers as much as it satisfies them."
Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters (2020) Emily Carpenter "A historical murder mystery, lost memories, and priceless, hidden relics: Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters is an atmospheric, unputdownable Southern Gothic masterpiece. Carpenter’s masterful narrative bounces between young Ruth in 1930s Atlanta, her exciting escape from the mental institution that was her childhood home and prison, and her granddaughter searching for hidden truths after her death. This was a well-plotted mystery full of family secrets and Southern atmosphere, and I absolutely could not put it down."
I Hope You're Listening (2020) Tom Ryan "A heart-pounding YA mystery/thriller that is at turns chilling, poignant, and nail-bitingly suspenseful."
For the Best (2020) Vanessa Lillie "In this nail biter of a thriller, Lillie delivers an unconventional, unlikeable, but not unsympathetic protagonist who gets caught between a decades-old tragedy and a current day mystery. CEO Juliet finds herself in an impossible situation when her colleague is murdered, leaving her the prime suspect. What follows is a high-stakes unraveling, forcing Juliet to confront both her past and who she fears she’s becoming. Character-driven and heart wrenching, For the Best is a book to be devoured more than read."
Hurry Home (2020) Roz Nay "Fascinating and gripping with gloriously realized characters."
Strike Me Down (2020) Mindy Mejia "Part procedural, part domestic, this thriller has something for everyone."
Next Girl to Die (2019) (Calderwood Cases, book 1) Dea Poirier "Next Girl to Die is a smart, fast-paced, and intensely well-written procedural thriller, and it takes place in one of the best settings I’ve had the pleasure of reading in a long time: a lonely island off the coast of Maine. The island has more secrets than residents, with each character more ominously suspicious than the last. Poirier is a diabolical plotter, and this tight debut is fraught with tension and mystery."
Shadow's Keep (2018) (Killer Thrillers) Meghan O'Flynn "O'Flynn weaves elements of the procedural and the occult into a masterful psychological thriller replete with staggering, unpredictable twists. Readers should beware any notion that they can predict the ending of Shadow's Keep. Believe me, reader, you cannot."
