When a master of dark thrillers and riveting suspense recommends a book, you know you’re in for a tantalizing treat. Gillian Flynn is the acclaimed author of Gone Girl, Sharp Objects, and plenty more books that pull readers deep into their intricate plots. She’s not only showcased her prowess in storytelling but has set the bar high for modern mystery and suspense. Flynn’s distinct American voice is matched by her keen insights into the human psyche, dysfunctional dynamics, and the lengths one goes to conceal the truth. If you’re looking for a few more end-of-summer suspense reads, dive into this list of the books Flynn has raved about over the years.
6 Jaw-Dropping Thrillers Gillian Flynn Recommends
Falling
“Attention, please: T. J. Newman has written the perfect thriller! Such a cool, high-concept idea: commercial airline pilot forced to make the ultimate life-or-death choice. Newman’s background in the air grounds the story in reality, while her writing amps up the suspense to unbearable levels. Terrific and terrifying, a true page-turner. A must-read for summer vacation—but my advice is, don't start this book until you’ve gotten off the plane.” –Gillian Flynn
Falling
#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER * NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
“T. J. Newman has written the perfect thriller! A must-read.” —Gillian Flynn
“Stunning and relentless. This is Jaws at 35,000 feet.” —Don Winslow
“Falling is the best kind of thriller…Nonstop, totally authentic suspense.” —James Patterson
“Amazing...Intense suspense, shocks, and scares...Chilling.” —Lee Child
You just boarded a flight to New York.
There are one hundred and forty-three other passengers onboard.
What you don’t know is that thirty minutes before the flight your pilot’s family was kidnapped.
For his family to live, everyone on your plane must die.
The only way the family will survive is if the pilot follows his orders and crashes the plane.
Enjoy the flight.
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Whalefall
“Astoundingly great. Whalefall is, quite simply, a beautiful novel—a must-read story of the sea, the nature of awe, and the briny relationships between fathers and sons.” –Gillian Flynn
Whalefall
The Martian meets 127 Hours in this “powerfully humane” (Owen King, New York Times bestselling author) and scientifically accurate thriller about a scuba diver who’s been swallowed by an eighty-foot, sixty-ton sperm whale and has only one hour to escape before his oxygen runs out.
Jay Gardiner has given himself a fool’s errand—to find the remains of his deceased father in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Monastery Beach. He knows it’s a long shot, but Jay feels it’s the only way for him to lift the weight of guilt he has carried since his dad’s death by suicide the previous year.
The dive begins well enough, but the sudden appearance of a giant squid puts Jay in very real jeopardy, made infinitely worse by the arrival of a sperm whale looking to feed. Suddenly, Jay is caught in the squid’s tentacles and drawn into the whale’s mouth where he is pulled into the first of its four stomachs. He quickly realizes he has only one hour before his oxygen tanks run out—one hour to defeat his demons and escape the belly of a whale.
Suspenseful and cinematic, Whalefall is an “astoundingly great” (Gillian Flynn, New York Times bestselling author) thriller about a young man who has given up on life…only to find a reason to live in the most dangerous and unlikely of places.
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The Centre
“An absolutely stunning and unique novel . . . A book that is not only thrilling but deeply thought provoking, a combination that is truly rare.” —Gillian Flynn
The Centre
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Since We Fell
“Lehane has written two books—one, an insightful examination of the search for identity and belonging, and two, a thriller that constantly leaves you guessing—and then smashed them together into one terrific read.” –Gillian Flynn
Since We Fell
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Sunburn
“Every time Laura Lippman comes out with a new book, I get chills because I know I am back in the hands of the master. She is simply a brilliant novelist, an unflinching chronicler of life in America right now, and Sunburn is her dark, gleaming noir gem. Read it.” –Gillian Flynn
Sunburn
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Spellman Six
"[Spellman Six] is Raymond Chandler meets Arrested Development. Zany, witty and full of dark surprises, Lisa Lutz's novel is pure fun and Izzy Spellman, PI, tops the list of 'Fictional Characters I'd Like to Meet for a Bourbon.'" –Gillian Flynn
Spellman Six
"Raymond Chandler meets Arrested Development. Zany, witty, and full of dark surprises, Lisa Lutz's novel is pure fun—and Izzy Spellman, PI, tops the list of 'Fictional Characters I'd Like to Meet for a Bourbon'"(Gillian Flynn, New York Times bestselling author of Gone Girl).
ISABEL SPELLMAN, PI, is used to being followed, extorted, and questioned—all occupational hazards of working at her fami-ly’s firm, Spellman Investigations. Her little sister, Rae, once tailed Izzy for weeks on end to discover the identity of Izzy’s boyfriend. Her mother, Olivia, once blackmailed Izzy with photographic evidence of Prom Night 1994. After years of power struggles, Izzy staged a hostile takeover of the company. She should have known better than to think she could put such shenanigans behind her.
When Izzy is accused of embezzling from a former client, her troubles are just beginning. If Izzy gets indicted, she could lose her PI license and the Spellman family’s livelihood—not to mention her own freedom. Is this the end of Izzy Spellman, PI?
Spellman Six: The Next Generation is, hands down, the most powerful book in the bestselling, award-nominated Spellman series.
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