Journey through genres: Suspense fiction
In 2025 we're exploring many genres through a year-long book club – Journey Through Genres. Suspense fiction is the perfect way to jump start this adventure.
Suspense fiction grabs you from the very first page. These stories are known for their riveting, page-turning nature, often introducing a sense of anxiety as characters navigate challenging situations. The blend of danger, mystery and adrenaline will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Check out some of Katie and Ginger's favorite suspense reads below. Don't miss the chance to chat about suspense fiction with them and other avid readers Mon, Feb 3, 2025, 7-8pm in the fiction wing during the first meeting of the Journey Through Genres Club.
The Alienist by Caleb Carr
In 1896 a madman stalks the Lower East Side of New York City. It is up to well-known alienist, Dr. Laszlo Kreizler to get inside the mind of the serial killer and stop him before he claims another victim. Dr. Kreizler, his longtime friend and newspaperman John Moore, and a police secretary named Sara Howard, team up to use new methods such as fingerprinting and criminal profiling to begin to paint a picture of their man. They must deal with corrupt police officials and marginalized groups to catch the killer.
This book is an excellent blend of history and suspense fiction. Many of the details in the book, such as Teddy Roosevelt being police commissioner, are taken from real life. It is also a fascinating look into the early history of psychology (which is what an alienist specialized in) and the hurdles and misconceptions that had to be overcome before it was truly taken seriously.
Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
It's Halloween night and Jen is waiting up for her teenage son who's out past curfew. She sees him walking toward home. Suddenly he's approached by a man and Jen watches her son kill this man on the street in front of their house. She rushes out in disbelief. The police arrive quickly and her son is taken to jail. Jen can't imagine why her son would do such a thing and she has no idea who he killed.
She goes to bed completely distraught. When she wakes she soon discovers it's actually Halloween morning and no one has been killed. After this every morning is further and further in the past. She decides to use this unexpected time travel to prevent the murder and protect her son.
There are so many twists in this riveting story. Jen uncovers lots of secrets in what she thought was her simple, pleasant life. This is suspense at it's best. You won't care about all the sleep you're missing to figure out what is really happening in this happy family in a quaint village.
Wanderers by Chuck Wendig
On a sunny morning, a young girl walks out her door and down the road to an unknown destination. She doesn't respond to her family members' pleas for her to return home. She is soon joined by others apparently suffering from the same affliction, all walking toward the same place. They are joined by their friends and family, who protect them along the way. Meanwhile, a horrible pandemic is breaking out around the world and the walkers are the only people who appear to be immune. Along the way, they must battle not only the pandemic, but also a violent band of white supremacists, bent on stopping the walkers at any cost.
If you are looking for something like Stephen King's masterpiece The Stand, but want it to be even more prescient to modern day, look no further. It is juggernaut from start to finish and a book I continue to think about years after first reading it. Also check out its sequel, Wayward!
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
Lisa Jewell is a modern master of suspense starting with her 2013 book The House We Grew Up In. I enjoy her earlier books, but they are more general fiction than suspense. Then She Was Gone was the first book of hers I read and it's still one of my favorites.
At 15 Ellie Mack is beloved by her parents, teachers, friends and her boyfriend. When she doesn't return home one afternoon no one can figure out where she has gone. Ten years later her parents have divorced, her siblings have grown up and her mom, Laurel is trying to move on with her life.
Laurel recently started a relationship with a charming man, Floyd, and is ready to meet his daughters. When she meets his youngest daughter, Poppy, Laurel is shocked at how much she looks like and reminds her of Ellie. Is it just that she can't fully let go of Ellie's memory or is something else going on?
The suspense builds as we follow alternate timelines of Ellie at 15 and Laurel 10 years later. I could not read fast enough!
Article co-authored by Katie Keckeisen & Ginger Park
