Cover of The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

5 book recommendations

Books Like “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins

If you were captivated by the unreliable narrators, dark domestic secrets, and breathless twists of The Girl on the Train, you know the pure rush of a masterclass psychological thriller. Dive into our carefully curated selection below to discover your next addictive mystery and find an unputdownable read tonight.

  1. Cover of The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

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    The Woman in the Window

    by A.J. Finn

    Get ready for the biggest thriller of 2018... What did she see? It's been ten long months since Anna Fox last left her home. Ten months during which she has haunted the rooms of her old New York house like a ghost, lost in her memories, too terrified to step outside. Anna's lifeline to the real world is her window, where she sits day after day, watching her neighbours. When the Russells move in, Anna is instantly drawn to them. A picture-perfect family of three, they are an echo of the life that was once hers. But one evening, a frenzied scream rips across the silence, and Anna witnesses something no one was supposed to see. Now she must do everything she can to uncover the truth about what really happened. But even if she does, will anyone believe her? And can she even trust herself?

    Why it's similar

    Both novels center on an isolated, unreliable female narrator battling substance abuse and trauma who believes she witnessed a violent crime while obsessively watching her neighbors.

    What's different

    Finn's novel is an agoraphobic single-perspective mystery strictly confined to the interior of one house, whereas Hawkins uses multiple viewpoints and a commuter rail setting.

  2. Cover of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

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    Gone Girl

    by Gillian Flynn

    Marriage can be a real killer.

    One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that her work "draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction." Gone Girl's toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn.

    On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife's head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media--as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents--the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter--but is he really a killer?

    As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn't do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

    With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around.

    Why it's similar

    Both are domestic psychological thrillers built around the disappearance of a woman, uncovering toxic marriages and using deceptive, deeply flawed narrators.

    What's different

    Flynn's work leans heavily into dark satire and media manipulation, featuring calculated psychological warfare rather than Hawkins's focus on alcoholism and memory loss.

  3. Cover of Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

    Cover not available

    Sometimes I Lie

    by Alice Feeney

    'Marvellous' A. J. Finn 'A bold and original voice' Clare Mackintosh 'A brilliant thriller' Ali Land

    My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me.

    1. I'm in a coma

    2. My husband doesn't love me any more

    3. Sometimes I lie

    Unnerving, twisted and utterly compelling, you won't be able to put this thriller down.

    Why it's similar

    Both stories utilize an unreliable female protagonist plagued by blackouts and compromised memory who must piece together hidden domestic secrets and violent events.

    What's different

    Feeney's protagonist is trapped in a comatose state alternating between past memories and present hospital eavesdropping, creating a more surreal narrative framework.

  4. Cover of The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

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    The Couple Next Door

    by Shari Lapena

    AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Shari Lapena's new thriller, A STRANGER IN THE HOUSE, is available now from Viking Books! "The twists come as fast [as] you can turn the pages." --People "Provocative and shocking." --Lisa Gardner, New York Times bestselling author of Find Her "I read this novel at one sitting, absolutely riveted by the storyline. The suspense was beautifully rendered and unrelenting!" --Sue Grafton, New York Times bestselling author of X It all started at a dinner party. . . A domestic suspense debut about a young couple and their apparently friendly neighbors--a twisty, rollercoaster ride of lies, betrayal, and the secrets between husbands and wives. . . Anne and Marco Conti seem to have it all--a loving relationship, a wonderful home, and their beautiful baby, Cora. But one night, when they are at a dinner party next door, a terrible crime is committed. Suspicion immediately lands on the parents. But the truth is a much more complicated story. Inside the curtained house, an unsettling account of what actually happened unfolds. Detective Rasbach knows that the panicked couple is hiding something. Both Anne and Marco soon discover that the other is keeping secrets, secrets they've kept for years. What follows is the nerve-racking unraveling of a family--a chilling tale of deception, duplicity, and unfaithfulness that will keep you breathless until the final shocking twist.

    Why it's similar

    Both books explore suburban domestic suspense where outward appearances of perfection mask infidelity, deceit, and crime among neighbors.

    What's different

    Lapena employs an omniscient third-person procedural perspective following both the suspects and the detectives, rather than a subjective first-person confessional style.

  5. Cover of Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris

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    Behind Closed Doors

    by B. A. Paris

    ***The Million-copy International Bestseller*** 'If you love The Girl on the Train read Behind Closed Doors' Elle

    'Twists our expectations of the entire psychological thriller genre' Guardian

    Everyone knows a couple like Jack and Grace. He has looks and wealth, she has charm and elegance. You might not want to like them, but you do.

    You'd like to get to know Grace better.

    But it's difficult, because you realise Jack and Grace are never apart.

    Some might call this true love. Others might ask why Grace never answers the phone. Or how she can never meet for coffee, even though she doesn't work. How she can cook such elaborate meals but remain so slim. And why there are bars on one of the bedroom windows.

    Sometimes, the perfect marriage is the perfect lie.

    PRAISE FOR BEHIND CLOSED DOORS:

    'If you love The Girl on the Train read Behind Closed Doors' Elle

    'Twists our expectations of the entire psychological thriller genre' Guardian

    'The tension builds almost unbearably' Good Housekeeping

    'This outstanding debut novel will leave you breathless' Bella

    'This one is 2016's answer to Gone Girl. 'Nuff said' Women's Health UK

    'It took me just an afternoon to read this book and by the end, my heart was pounding. If you like fast and frantic stories, you'll love this' The Sun

    'Brilliant, chilling, scary and unputdownable' Lesley Pearse, bestselling author of Without a Trace

    'Behind Closed Doors is an intriguing, sharply gripping debut thriller' Lovereading

    'Behind Closed Doors is both unsettling and addictive, as I raced through the pages to find out Grace's fate. A chilling thriller that will keep you reading long into the night' Mary Kubica, bestselling author of The Good Girl

    Why it's similar

    Both are psychological suspense novels that peel back the façade of an apparently perfect relationship and suburban respectability to reveal disturbing control and violence. Each uses an intimate, character-driven viewpoint and tense domestic setting to probe themes of power, fear, and entrapment.

    What's different

    The suspense hinges less on solving a whodunit and more on enduring and escaping a known abuser, making it closer to psychological horror. Its structure shifts between past and present to reveal escalating cruelty, with a more suffocating focus on one marriage than on a wider mystery.

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