What better foundation for a suspense novel (or any novel, for that matter) than a woman with secrets? I love secrets in novels—the more the better—and I find, both as a reader and a writer, that secrets raise the stakes in wonderfully compelling ways.
Secrets are at the forefront of my novel Floreana, which features two women, a century apart, who are keeping secrets from themselves as much from as their loved ones. In my fictional narrative of Dore Strauch, inspired by real and sinister events that took place in the 1930s, Dore writes about her time on Floreana Island, part of the Galápagos Islands, where she fled with her lover in 1929 to live in paradise. The problem? Their life there is not quite paradise after all—and within five years, her lover is dead and three other settlers have disappeared. Her story in Floreana is as much about the secrets within her own heart as it is about the events that took place.
And in the contemporary narrative of Floreana, penguin researcher Mallory is likewise keeping secrets—from her former lover and mentor as well as from herself as she struggles to come to terms with her past. When she finds Dore’s secret diary hidden on the island, Mallory realizes the two of them have more in common than she ever could have realized.
The thing about secrets—especially in novels—is that they always come out eventually, and this is the fun of reading. Even if we readers are privy to what is hidden, it’s always exciting to see how things are revealed.
These 8 books are about women with secrets and how they hide them (from the world and within themselves) and how their secrets are devastatingly revealed to the other characters and to the reader.
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
When Barbara Van Laar disappears from summer camp on the property that her family has owned for generations, it becomes clear she’s been keeping secrets. Yet she’s not the only one. As the search for Barbara launches, we get glimpses into her family’s dark history and the lives of those who surround the Van Laars, many of whom have secrets of their own. Narrated by myriad characters, this gripping novel reveals what lies hidden within the family as well as the community surrounding them.
Northern Spy (and Trust Her) by Flynn Berry
Northern Spy features not one but two women with secrets. Tessa Daly can’t believe her sister could possibly be a member of the Irish Republican Army, but as the truth comes to light, Tessa gets drawn into her sister’s situation and soon has secrets of her own to keep. In Berry’s follow-up, Trust Her, the sisters’ pasts come back to haunt them, and again they find themselves caught up in secrets kept and revealed, while navigating new motherhood, their family’s past, and the complexities within their changing country.
Misery by Stephen King
Number-one fan Annie Wilkes has a well-kept secret in her hostage, the writer Paul Sheldon. Having rescued him from a horrific car accident, she learns of his plan to kill off her favorite character, Misery Chastain, in his newest novel. Paul has to delve into Annie’s psyche and learn all of her secrets to save his own life, and this journey creates page-turning (and more than little terrifying) psychological suspense.
Force of Nature by Jane Harper
When five colleagues head into the rugged Australian bushland for a corporate retreat and one of them goes missing, federal agent Aaron Falk is tasked with uncovering their secrets—especially those of the missing woman, Alice Russell, who is the whistleblower in his current case and knows all the secrets of her company and her co-workers. More hidden truths come to light as the search for Alice propels this atmospheric and compelling novel forward.
Everything You Want Me to Be by Mindy Mejia
It wasn’t a secret that Hattie Hoffman was eager to leave her small town of Pine Valley, Minnesota. But when she is found murdered on the opening night of her high school play, it becomes clear that Hattie has been keeping other secrets. As a talented aspiring actor, she was able to be anything anyone wanted her to be—but after her death, a shocked small town begins to unravel, loosening the ties that held together Hattie’s secrets, and many more.
Find Me by Alafair Burke
Find Me is about a woman with secrets even she cannot uncover; Hope Miller knows only that she was found in New Jersey, having been thrown from a vehicle, with no idea of who she is or where she came from. She has started a new life, but then she disappears again—and it is up to her best friend and a homicide detective to find out why.
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
Everything about Evie Porter is a secret, beginning with her name; her employer, known as Mr. Smith, keeps her immersed in various identities. But this latest job is her most challenging yet because despite being an expert at lying, she finds herself not wanting to lie to her new mark, the handsome and wealthy Ryan Sumner. And then, when it turns out Evie isn’t the only one lying, she has to figure out how to reconcile her past with the future she hopes to have.
All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris
Attorney Ellice Littlejohn is all about keeping secrets—“that’s what lawyers do.” But when she goes to in to work to meet with her boss (with whom she’s having an affair), she finds him dead in his office. And now she has yet another secret to keep, adding to what she’s been hiding about her past. She leaves the office without reporting the crime, repeating a pattern of running away—but she will soon learn she can’t run forever.
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