When it comes to writing about the horrors and crimes of the modern world, who better to do it then women? From complicated friendships to toxic relationships, career woes to the pressures of motherhood, there are so many topics that are primed for thrills, chills, and complex characters, and some of the best thrillers by female writers explore these issues with a decidedly feminist slant.
My upcoming thriller, You Should Have Told Me, follows, Janie, a new mother struggling to get by—her new baby won’t sleep, she seems to be insatiably hungry, and a secret from Janie’s past threatens to tear everything apart. When her partner, Max, offers to do their baby’s feedings one night, of course she jumps at the chance. Only she wakes up hours later to her daughter screaming in her bassinet and her partner gone. When a woman is murdered and Max becomes the prime suspect, Janie must try to put together her partner’s secrets before her own world is torn apart.
It’s not easy being a woman in a patriarchal world—here are seven scintillating thrillers by up-and-coming female writers.
Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett
A thriller that blends classic noir with modern social media, Like a Sister shimmers with secrets, sisterhood and jaw-dropping suspense. When the body of reality TV star Desiree Pierce is found in the Bronx after her 25th birthday, everyone is quick to blame her death on a drug overdose, with on her half-sister, Lena Scott, questioning the accepted narrative. Lena must delve into her own family’s darkest secrets to discover what really happened to her sister.
The Lady Upstairs by Halley Sutton
A female blackmailer set out to take down the most lecherous and corrupt men in Los Angeles? Sign us up. This read-in-one sitting thriller follows Jo, a professional blackmailer who is out to prove herself to an enigmatic and mysterious boss, known only as “The Lady Upstairs”—but gets more than she bargained for when one of her targets turns up murdered and the LAPD have Jo in their sights as a suspect.
Blood Sugar by Sascha Rothchild
Ruby isn’t a sociopath, but she is a murderer. This animal-loving therapist in Miami has killed three different people over the course of her life—all for good reasons, according to Ruby, at least—but all goes haywire when her own husband dies from diabetes complications and the police suspect foul play. Only for once, Ruby didn’t do it. This chilling exploration of one complicated character shines with wit, wickedness, and a vibrant Miami beat.
Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel
A modern nod to Rosemary’s Baby with a decidedly feminist slant, Just Like Mother follows two children raised in a bizarre cult who reunite in New York City and the Catskills as adults. One of them, Maeve, is living in the city, stressed out and has almost no social life or family ties. The other, Andrea, is thriving in an upstate mansion and runs a fertility industry startup. When their worlds once again collide, Maeve finds herself falling deeper and deeper into a baby-obsessed world that may just unlock some of the secrets to her cultish past.
Beneath the Stairs by Jennifer Fawcett
A bone-chilling ghost story that explores the dynamics of two childhood friends and one traumatic night that changed everything. Everyone in Sumner’s Mills knows about the Octogan House hidden deep in the woods, but most are too scared to trespass where a man once killed his wife and two young daughters. But when Clare and Abby visit the house, it changes Abby forever. Twenty years later, adult Clare learns that Abby has attempted suicide at the Octogan House. She returns to her hometown desperate to uncover the truth—without losing herself in the process.
Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian
Chloe Sevre is a freshman honor student who is also a psychopath. In fact, she’s part of a study that includes seven other students at her college in DC just to learn more about how psychopaths function. But when one of the students is found murdered in the psychology building, Chloe realizes that someone is out to get them—and that psychopath might be even more clever and cunning than she is.
The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz
A writing contest. A secluded getaway. A million dollars and a publishing contract for the winner. It’s a dream for Alex, who’s all but given up her goal of becoming a published author, turns into a nightmare when she attends the retreat at the sprawling estate of the esteemed feminist horror writer, Roza Vallo. Alex is determined to win the contest and prove her worth, but things get complicated when one of the fellow writers vanishes during a snowstorm and Roza begins to play complicated mind games with the rest of the attendees. A truly unique thriller that dazzles with the dynamics of female friendship, fame, and the lengths some will go to get what they want.
Leah Konen is the author of You Should Have Told Me, as well as two previous thrillers, The Perfect Escape and All The Broken People, which have been featured in the NY Post, Marie Claire, She Reads, and the Charlotte Observer, among other publications. She is also the author of five YA novels, and her books have been translated into nearly a dozen languages and optioned for film and TV. She lives in Brooklyn and Saugerties, NY, with her husband, their daughter, Eleanor, and their dog, Farley.
