I may be just a wee bit obsessed with reality TV competition series – or so I’ve been told. Survivor (the OG), The Amazing Race, Big Brother, Alone, and most recently, Squid Game – The Challenge – are all addictive, guilty pleasures to binge-watch with a bowl of popcorn and a glass of wine (awful combo, I know). I even decided to set my latest thriller, Everyone Is Watching, against the backdrop of an over-the-top reality show where secrets, revenge, and the quest to become the one lucky winner turn deadly.
I mean, when you think about it, reality TV has all the elements of a great binge-read: A cast of wildly unpredictable contestants, some you love, some you love to hate, back-breaking and mind-bending challenges where at least one participant goes down with an injury (or worse), backstabbing, front-stabbing, endless mind games, and one lucky winner.
Here are five mysteries and thrillers that put the thrill in books with a reality TV twist.
Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett
“I found out my sister was back in New York from Instagram. I found out she’d died from the New York Daily News.”
What an opening line! Kellye Garrett yanks us right into this twisty tale about two sisters. Reality TV star Desiree Pierce is found dead on a playground in the Bronx under suspicious circumstances. When the police and media rush to call the tragedy an overdose, Desiree’s sister, Lena, knows something isn’t quite right and will do anything, even putting herself in harm’s way, to get to the truth.
The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll
Who can resist a reality series called Goal Diggers? And what could go wrong when five successful women, including two sisters, come together to appear in the edgy series set in NYC? One word: murder. In The Favorite Sister, we can’t help but take a hard look at our preoccupation with reality TV, fame, and our obsession to remain relevant in a world with a short attention span.
The Running Man by Stephen King, writing as Richard Bachman
This dystopian thriller was first published in 1982 by iconic author Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman. Set in the year 2025, desperate father Ben Richards needs money, and a lot of it, to get his daughter the medical attention she needs. His only option? Taking part in the deadly reality game show The Running Man. The challenge? If Ben survives for thirty days after being stalked by an elite squad of hunters whose only goal is to kill him while millions watch, he will win one billion dollars. If you haven’t read this high-octane thriller, what are you waiting for?
The Last One by Alexandra Oliva
When twelve contestants sign up for a reality competition series entitled The Woods, they are dropped off in the middle of nowhere to face a series of challenges and are pushed to the edge – physically and mentally. Immediately, the game takes a deadly turn, and one of the show’s producers, Zoo, lost and isolated from the others, has to sift through what’s real and what has been manufactured for ratings. Navigating dangerous terrain and an unknown enemy, Zoo has only her wits to rely on if there’s any hope for survival.
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
When fourteen-year-old Marjorie Barrett begins to display troubling behavior, her parents take her to their family physician, but they are unable to offer any answers. Desperate for help, the Barretts turn to the local Catholic priest, Father Wanderly, for guidance. Convinced that an evil entity possesses Marjorie, Father Wanderly believes the only way to save her is through an exorcism. Out of work and drowning in household and medical bills, the Barretts reluctantly agree to have their experience filmed for a new reality series called The Possession, which becomes an overnight sensation. What the camera captures is terrifying and will change the Barrett family forever. Years later, Merry Barrett, Marjorie’s younger sister, reflects on her family’s dance with the devil; she comes to question everything that occurred in the home and what was real in front of and behind the cameras.
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