Looking for something new and exciting to read?
I’ve compiled a list of thrillers, including suspense, crime fiction, and mystery titles.
Best of all? Each title on this list not only features a strong female protagonist, but it also happens to be the first book in a series.
In other words, if you decide to check out a title on this list and fall in love with it, there are more books to consume in the same series.
I decided to take it a step farther, however. Instead of simply listing popular thrillers, I reached out directly to the authors and asked them this all-important question:
Why should readers check out your series?
Have a look through the list below. Who knows? Your new favorite series might only be a few clicks away.
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Title: Exhume
Series: Dr. Schwartzman
Kindle Price: $4.99
Amazon Rating: 4.2 / 5.0
Shortened synopsis:
Schwartzman’s latest case is deeply troubling: the victim bears an eerie resemblance to herself…and [she] may be in danger.
Author: Danielle Girard
Why should readers check out your series?
“Gripping forensic thrillers guaranteed to keep you reading late into the night.”
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Title: Vanishing Girls
Series: Detective Josie Quinn
Kindle Price: $1.49
Amazon Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Shortened synopsis:
Someone in this close-knit town is committing unspeakable crimes. Can Josie catch the killer before another victim loses their life?
Author: Lisa Regan
Why should readers check out your series?
“Readers will love the Detective Josie Quinn series for its gripping mysteries and twists!”
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Title: The Betrayed
Series: Byrne Trilogy
Kindle Price: £1.99
Amazon Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Shortened synopsis:
To catch a killer, mother and daughter must find the secrets tearing their family apart.
Author: Casey Kelleher
Why should readers check out your series?
“If you like dark, gritty crime thrillers about the criminal underworld then you’ll love The Betrayed!”
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Title: A Deeper Darkness
Series: Dr. Samantha Owens
Kindle Price: $5.99
Amazon Rating: 4.4 / 5.0
Shortened synopsis:
Samantha Owens knows her job is to make sense of death. But…making sense of murder sometimes means putting yourself in the crosshairs of death.
Author: J.T. Ellison
Why should readers check out your series?
“Medical examiner Dr. Samantha Owens is all of us: our hopes and fears, our determination and our weakness. Simply surviving the loss of her family makes her invincible.”
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Title: Greed
Series: Amber Monroe
Kindle Price: $0.00 (Free)
Amazon Rating: 4.1 / 5.0
Shortened synopsis:
When two men are discovered on the outskirts of North Bend, each with a bullet to the head, Amber’s team…hits the highway in search of a killer.
Author: C.M. Sutter
Why should readers check out your series?
“If you like tough women with a family background of hardcore cops, then you need to check out this series. You’ll find Amber serious, heartfelt, funny, and cocky but she definitely gets the job done.”
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Title: The Lost Concerto
Series: Maggie O’Shea
Kindle Price: $7.99
Amazon Rating: 4.4 / 5.0
Shortened synopsis:
On a remote island off the Breton coast of France…a tragic death occurs and a terrified child vanishes into the mist.
Author: Helaine Mario
Why should readers check out your series?
“Grieving classical pianist Maggie O’Shea is drawn to France to search for her missing godson. Music tells our stories…”
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Title: Witness Protection
Series: Witness Protection
Kindle Price: $2.99
Amazon Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Shortened synopsis:
After witnessing an execution, a resourceful young woman attempts to disappear while being pursued by a hitman and a handsome federal agent.
Author: Holly Copella
Why should readers check out your series?
“Review by Liz: ‘Romantic thriller with a seriously kick-ass heroine that was amazing. The amount of romance is like 10% and all sex scenes were fade to black. So just stop reading now if you’ve lost interest.'”
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Title: Hunted
Series: Diana Hunter
Kindle Price: $0.99
Amazon Rating: 4.1 / 5.0
Shortened synopsis:
When Lydia is found dead at her workplace…authorities rule the death a suicide, but when events don’t start to add up, the family that is left behind begins to suspect something isn’t right.
Author: Alison Golden
Why should readers check out your series?
“Diana Hunter is a survivor, a fighter, a threat. She’s an orphan, a truth-seeker, an ex-spy. Is she coming for you?”
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Title: The Last Lies
Series: Kate Murphy
Kindle Price: $1.99
Amazon Rating: 3.9 / 5.0
Shortened synopsis:
Police officer Kate Murphy thought she’d left her tumultuous past behind when she married Matt, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Author: C.C. Jameson
Why should readers check out your series?
“A woman in a man’s world. An enemy she never saw coming.”
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Title: The List Conspiracy
Series: Game of Nations
Kindle Price: $0.99
Amazon Rating: 3.9 / 5.0
Shortened synopsis:
What would you do if you found out your child was involved in a shadow government conspiracy…that they can’t get out of?
Author: Martha Carr
Why should readers check out your series?
“Wallis Jones is a small-town lawyer, playing bunco with friends, going to the school talent show…and the key to keeping a world conspiracy from unraveling. Too bad she doesn’t have a clue. Hope it’s not too late.”
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Title: Go Home, Afton
Series: Afton Morrison
Kindle Price: $3.99
Amazon Rating: 4.6 / 5.0
Shortened synopsis:
Afton Morrison, 26, is a small-town children’s librarian. She’s also a disturbed vigilante murderess, in pursuit of a violent sexual predator.
Author: Brent Jones
Why should readers check out your series?
“Go Home, Afton is the first of four parts in a new serial thriller. Packed with grit and action, The Afton Morrison Series delves into a world of moral ambiguity, delivering audiences an unlikely heroine in the form of a disturbed vigilante murderess.”
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Title: Too Many Secrets
Series: Roxanne Boudreaux Trilogy
Kindle Price: $0.99
Amazon Rating: 4.7 / 5.0
Shortened synopsis:
Named as the sole heir to her aunt’s estate, the Pittsburgh tax attorney [Roxanne Boudreaux] finds herself in a world of danger she never anticipated.
Author: E.B. Corbin
Why should readers check out your series?
“For readers who enjoy a fast-paced story, well-developed characters, and plenty of action, absorbing but easy-to-read.”
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Title: Death In Vermilion
Series: Cape
Kindle Price: $2.99
Amazon Rating: 4.8 / 5.0
Shortened synopsis:
A clever and twisted picture of artists, women and sisters, whose lives are entwined by a brutal murder in a Cape Cod town.
Author: Barbara Elle
Why should readers check out your series?
“A psychological thriller about murder among friends…and enemies asks: Who do you trust?”
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Title: For God and Country
Series: Leona Foxx
Kindle Price: $0.99
Amazon Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
Shortened synopsis:
Leona uncovers a terrorist plot hatched by American mercenaries who intend to blame Iran.
Author: Ted Peters
Why should readers check out your series?
“Leona Foxx is a black op with a white collar. When you’ve given your conscience to God and your country is in peril, how fiercely are you willing to fight?”
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Note: Ratings and prices were taken from Amazon at the time this post was published and are subject to change.
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- Did you recognize a few of the authors or titles on this list?
- What makes a thriller exciting for you?
- Do you have a favorite thriller series?
- What are you reading (or writing) right now?
Let’s have a conversation in the comments below.
i’ve picked out several to look at more closely, but would love to know if they are the same as yours and, if so, if we think alike on them.
From the perspective of an indie author, I’m most interested in the first three: Exhume, Vanishing Girls, and The Betrayed. You probably noticed that I put the books on this list in order of popularity. I’m curious to see what has made these three books more popular than the others, including my own.
Strictly from a plot perspective, The Lost Concerto and Death In Vermilion both stood out to me, because they both incorporate the arts, which could be interesting. That, and I spoke with the authors of these two books at length, and both Elle and Mario seems like outstanding and charismatic people.
How about you?
okay, couldn’t find either of those last two (for free) on my book source (NG). but checking them out, think i’ll opt for trying to find the Elle book at my local library (gasp–the library??). otherwise, no, i hadn’t picked either of the last two. do you currently have the Elle book?
I don’t presently, no. I plan to purchase it, though.
👍
Excellent, excellent, excellent–all look like good reads! And that pop-up? You really rock Brent!
You’ll have to let me know what you think, Gin, if you happen to check out some of these titles. I’m eyeing a few of them myself.
You like that popup, huh? Good, I’m glad. It’s a new addition and I was hesitant to implement it. Some people find popups annoying, after all. But today alone, so far 43 people have opted in to check out my free offer, and it’s only 5 pm where I am. At the very least, it has been effective.
Thanks for commenting.
—Brent