‘Original and well told’: The best Psychological Thrillers out now – Liars Island by T.
Liars Island by T. Orr Munro (H.Q. £16.99, 448 pp)
The evidence from a murder scene on an island in the Bristol Channel includes a child’s doll, used syringes and a fishing net. Crime Scene Investigator Ally Dymond tries to solve the murder of this man.
Two islanders are sensationally claiming to be the murderers. Both claim sole responsibility, so neither can be charged until Ally gets to the bottom of the evidence.
The author’s background in Crime Scene Investigating helps make the evidence aspect of the mystery particularly gripping. Tension ramps up when a storm stops Ally – and anyone else – from leaving the island.
Ally discovers the murky secrets which lie behind island life. This is an engaging tale and Ally is a highly relatable character but maybe not quite exciting enough for real thriller lovers.
Fishing for clues on a murderous island
Ice Town by Will Dean (Hodder & Stoughton £20, 400 pp)
This is a franchise just waiting to explode on a television screen near you. The central character is Tuva Moodyson, a young reporter working for a Swedish newspaper who also happens to be deaf.
In this, the sixth in the series, Tuva is moved by a news alert to travel to a remote mountainous resort and join a search party for a missing deaf teenager, in the belief she would be uniquely capable of helping find him and communicate with him.
The resort is accessible only via a tunnel which is closed at night, and soon the story is complicated when the resort becomes a murder scene. Difficult questions arise for Tuva: is the missing boy a perpetrator or a victim?
The author’s insights into the unique psychological challenges faced by the deaf light up his highly accomplished storytelling.
Easily read as a standalone but I am guessing you will go back for more.
The Ice Retreat by Ruth Kelly (Pan £9.99, 400 pp)
This intriguing tale is set in a remote wellness clinic in Switzerland. Hollie Johnson, a scientist who hosts her own TV show called BAD Medicine, is investigating the clinic’s controversial methods.
Rumours of suicides of former patients and questions about ice rebirth treatments and a mystery about a missing boy keep the plot ticking over nicely.
Plus the fact that Hollie isn’t entirely honest about her own motives. The clinic is run by an ex Olympic ski champion and much of the tension is generated by the psychological battle of wits between the two women.
It becomes clear Hollie’s own safety is also in play. One of the most successful parts of the story is the illustration of how vulnerable people suffer from chronic pain. An original and well told tale.