2017 in Thrillers: It's (Still) All About The Girl.

It started with 'Gone Girl.'

  

Then came 'The Girl on the Train'.

 

In 2017 the leading ladies thriller trend looks set to continue, with a whole host of upcoming titles dedicated to the titular girl.  These girls have stepped off the train, and now they are running for their lives, running from their secrets, running from that plot twist you maintain you saw coming, but deep down know you didn’t….

2017 in thrillers: it’s still all about the girl.

*****

The Girl Before by JP Delaney || Release date: January 26th 2017

For all fans of The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl comes this spellbinding Hitchcockian thriller which takes psychological suspense to the next level

Jane stumbles on the rental opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to live in a beautiful ultra-minimalist house designed by an enigmatic architect, on condition she abides by a long list of exacting rules. After moving in, she discovers that a previous tenant, Emma, met a mysterious death there - and starts to wonder if her own story will be a re-run of the girl before. As twist after twist catches the reader off guard, Emma's past and Jane's present become inexorably entwined in this tense, page-turning portrayal of psychological obsession.

*****

Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson || Release date: January 10th 2017

Trading apartments with her Boston cousin seemed like a good idea to Kate. She might finally shake off the nightmares that have haunted her. On arrival, she discovers that the woman in the next apartment has been brutally murdered. Kate’s worst fears are about to be realized, as the police come to suspect her cousin as the killer. There are other bodies in his past that she has yet to learn of.

HER EVERY FEAR is a classic nail-biter about a troubled young woman in jeopardy. This novel echoes those of Patricia Highsmith at her best.

*****

Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough || Release date: January 26th 2017

Only two can keep a secret if one of them is dead.

It’s said that the only people who really know what goes on in a marriage are the couple themselves. But what if even they don’t know the truth?

David and Adele seem like the ideal pair. He’s a successful psychiatrist, she is his picture-perfect wife who adores him. But why is he so controlling? And why is she keeping things hidden?

Louise, David’s new secretary, is intrigued. But as Louise gets closer to each of them, instead of finding answers she uncovers more puzzling questions. The only thing that is crystal clear is that something in this marriage is very, very wrong. But Louise could never have guessed how wrong things really are and just how far someone might go to hide it.

*****

The Last Act of Hattie Hoffman by Mindy Mejia || Release date: March 9th 2017

Seventeen-year-old Hattie Hoffman is a talented actress, loved by everyone in her Minnesotan hometown. So when she's found stabbed to death on the opening night of her school play, the tragedy rips through the fabric of the community.

Local sheriff Del Goodman, a good friend of Hattie's dad, vows to find her killer, but the investigation yields more secrets than answers; it turns out Hattie played as many parts offstage as on. Told from three perspectives: Del's, Hattie's high school English teacher and Hattie herself, The Last Act of Hattie Hoffman tells the story of the real Hattie, and what happened that final year of school when she dreamed of leaving her small town behind . . .

Wonderfully evocative of its Midwestern setting and with a cast of unforgettable characters, this is a book about manipulation of relationships and identity, about the line between innocence and culpability, about the hope love offers and the tragedies that occur when it spins out of control.

*****

The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel || Release date: March 7th 2017

A gripping, provocative thriller about the twisted secrets families keep, perfect for fans of The Girls.

Beautiful.
Rich.
Mysterious.
Everyone wants to be a Roanoke girl.

But you won't when you know the truth.

Lane Roanoke is fifteen when she comes to live with her grandparents and fireball cousin at the Roanoke family's rural estate following the suicide of her mother. Over one long, hot summer, Lane experiences the benefits of being one of the rich and beautiful Roanoke girls.

But what she doesn't know is being a Roanoke girl carries a terrible legacy: either the girls run, or they die. For there is darkness at the heart of Roanoke, and when Lane discovers its insidious pull, she must make her choice... 

*****

Final Girls by Riley Sager || Release date: June 29th 2017

Each girl survived an unthinkable horror. Now someone wants them dead...

They were the victims of separate massacres. Three strangers bound by similar traumas grouped together by the press.

When something terrible happens to Lisa, put-together Quincy and volatile Sam finally meet. Each one influences the other. Each one has dark secrets. And after the bloodstained fingers of the past reach into the present, each one will never be the same.

*****

Of course, this is just a taster of what's to come thriller-wise in 2017.  There's also a new highly-anticipated release from 'Girl on the Train' author Paula Hawkins. 'Into the Water' may not have a buzzworthy 'girl' in its title, but I believe it does, in fact, revolve around the female of the species, two sisters with a whole lot of secrets.

The Girl Before by JP Delaney is coming up soon on my TBR (My blogger friend Jess tells me this is ah-mazing!) while I have a review of Peter Swanson's new novel Her Every Fear on the way very soon!

Tell me what thrillers you are most looking forward to reading in 2017!