Books like 'The Thorns'
Readers who enjoyed The Thorns by Dawn Kurtagich also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary horror mystery psychological dark-academia thriller boarding-school spooky high-school coming-of-age
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Different Seasons by Stephen King
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 67 ratingsFrom the Magical Pen of Stephen King, Four Mesmerizing Novellas…“Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption”An unjustly imprisoned convict seeks a strange and startling revenge…the basis for the Best Picture Academy Award nominee The Shawshank Redemption...Categorized as:
coming-of-age high-school spooky suspense thriller 20th-century action-adventure adult -
![The Good Lie by A.R. Torre]()
The Good Lie by A.R. Torre
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsSix teens murdered. A suspect behind bars. A desperate father. In a case this shadowy, the truth is easy to hide.Six teenagers dead. Finally, the killer behind bars. But are the games just beginning?Psychiatrist Dr. Gwen Moore is an expert on killers... -
![Der Insasse by Sebastian Fitzek]()
Der Insasse by Sebastian Fitzek
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsVor einem Jahr verschwand der kleine Max Berghoff.Nur der Täter weiß, was mit ihm geschah.Doch der sitzt im Hochsicherheitstrakt der Psychiatrie und schweigt.Max' Vater bleibt nur ein Weg, um endlich Gewissheit zu haben: Er muss selbst zum Insassen werden.Der InsasseUm die Wahrheit zu finden, muss er seinen Verstand verlieren... -
![Sul lato selvaggio by Tiffany McDaniel]()
Sul lato selvaggio by Tiffany McDaniel
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSix women—mothers, daughters, sisters—gone missing. Inspired by the unsolved murders of the Chillicothe Six, this harrowing novel tells the story of two sisters, both of whom could be the next victims, from the internationally best-selling author of Betty."Capture[s] what goes horribly wrong when women don’t fit a customary victim profile.. -
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![Cold Fire / Hideaway / The Key to Midnight by Dean Koontz, Leigh Nichols]()
Cold Fire / Hideaway / The Key to Midnight by Dean Koontz, Leigh Nichols
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsA collection of three previously published Koontz novels. This will be the first time The Key To Midnight will be available in hardcover... -
![My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell]()
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsExploring the psychological dynamics of the relationship between a precocious yet naïve teenage girl and her magnetic and manipulative teacher, a brilliant, all-consuming read that marks the explosive debut of an extraordinary new writer. 2000...Categorized as:
boarding-school coming-of-age dark-academia high-school suspense thriller 21st-century abuse -
![A Caller's Game by J.D. Barker]()
A Caller's Game by J.D. Barker
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsDIE HARD meets TALK RADIO in this heart-pounding, relentlessly fast-paced thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Fourth Monkey—master of suspense, J.D. Barker. "I'm going to offer you a choice." Controversial satellite radio talk show host, Jordan Briggs, has clawed her way to the top of the broadcast world... -
![Small Spaces by Sarah Epstein]()
Small Spaces by Sarah Epstein
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWe don’t pick and choose what to be afraid of. Our fears pick us.Tash Carmody has been traumatised since childhood, when she witnessed her gruesome imaginary friend Sparrow lure young Mallory Fisher away from a carnival. At the time nobody believed Tash, and she has since come to accept that Sparrow wasn’t real. Now fifteen and mute, Mallory’s never spoken about the week she went missing...Categorized as:
coming-of-age high-school suspense thriller action-adventure book contemporary crime -
![The Last Party by A.R. Torre]()
The Last Party by A.R. Torre
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA loving mother. A notorious murderer. They both have reasons to hide their secrets in a novel of escalating shock and suspense by New York Times bestselling author A. R. Torre.Perla Wultz lives with her husband, Grant, and their precious daughter, Sophie, in a gated Pasadena community. Affluent, sociable, and accomplished, Perla plays the part of loving wife and mother to perfection... -
![Dearest by Jacquie Walters]()
Dearest by Jacquie Walters
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA new mom in need of help opens her door to her long-estranged mother—only to invite something much darker inside—in this "fast-paced and frightening debut" (Rachel Harrison) about the long shadows cast by family secrets, perfect for readers of Grady Hendrix or Ashley Audrain. Flora is a new mom enamored of her baby girl, Iris, even if she arrived a few weeks early... -
![Wicked Little Words by Stevie J. Cole, B.T. Urruela]()
Wicked Little Words by Stevie J. Cole, B.T. Urruela
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEdwin Allen Mercer I want them all to read my words. And they do. Every last blood-stained sentence, they've read and praised me for. They love the gore and violence, the realness. And I get a sense of power with it all because I know a secret: the victims in my books—they’re real and have all died on my table. And maybe that’s why the last book had such awful reviews... -
![Demon by Matt Wesolowski]()
Demon by Matt Wesolowski
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsScott King’s podcast investigates the 1995 cold case of a demon possession in a rural Yorkshire village, where a 12-year-old boy was murdered in cold blood by two children. Book six in the chilling, award-winning Six Stories series.In 1995, the picture-perfect village of Ussalthwaite was the site of one of the most heinous crimes imaginable, in a case that shocked the world... -
![What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall]()
What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsThey were eleven when they sent a killer to prison . . .They were heroes . . . but they were liars.Naomi Shaw used to believe in magic. Twenty-two years ago, she and her two best friends, Cassidy and Olivia, spent the summer roaming the woods, imagining a world of ceremony and wonder. They called it the Goddess Game. The summer ended suddenly when Naomi was attacked... -
![In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead]()
In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 29 ratings10 hours, 22 minutes Six friends. One college reunion. One unsolved murder.Ten years after graduation, Jessica Miller has been invited back to her university for a reunion and she is obsessed with dazzling everyone with her beauty and success. This time when they see her, it has to be perfect because she is perfect... -
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![A Child for the Devil by Conrad Jones]()
A Child for the Devil by Conrad Jones
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA Child for the Devil is a full length dark thriller based on the novella 'Nine Angels'. When the author Conrad Jones was asked to help the police with the investigation into a double murder by identifying occult symbols, which had been carved into the victims, he is plunged into a nightmare and forced to go on the run... -
![The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis]()
The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA sensational new novel from the best-selling author of Less Than Zero and Imperial Bedrooms that tracks a group of privileged Los Angeles high school friends as a serial killer strikes across the city... -
![Three Strikes by Kate Kessler]()
Three Strikes by Kate Kessler
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThree Strikes is the new novel in a thriller series where a criminal psychologist uses her own dark past to help law enforcement catch dangerous killers.Thanksgiving is approaching, and Audrey Harte has a lot to be thankful for -- her mother has recovered from surgery, her relationship with Jake is solid, her father is relatively sober, and her career is evolving in an exciting direction... -
![The Pale White by Chad Lutzke]()
The Pale White by Chad Lutzke
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAfter being held against their will in a house used for trafficking, three girls plan their escape.Alex: A hardened goth-punk who’s convinced she’s a vampire with a penchant for blood.Stacia: A seventeen-year-old raised by an alcoholic mother, her fellow captives the only family she’s ever truly had.Kammie: The youngest of the three—a mute who finds solace in a houseplant... -
![Black for Remembrance by Carlene Thompson]()
Black for Remembrance by Carlene Thompson
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsCaroline Webb knows what it means to lose the person you love most. Twenty years ago, her five-year-old daughter, Hayley, was the light of her life, her treasure, her angle. Then came the terrible day when Hayley was kidnapped from her favorite swing. More than a month passed before her burned, lifeless body was found. All that remained was the silence of Caroline's heartache--and her guilt.. -
![Closet Full of Bones by A.J. Aalto]()
Closet Full of Bones by A.J. Aalto
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsEver since they were children, Gillian Hearth has been her sister Frankie’s guardian, her sounding board, and her best friend. Together, the Hearth sisters quietly bury their secrets and form a formidable team during any crisis. Purchasing the old Blymhill house with the hopes of turning it into an artists’ retreat, the sisters are finally living their dream... -
![Mirrors by Ted Dekker]()
Mirrors by Ted Dekker
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe journey that began with IDENTITY, Book One of Eyes Wide Open, continues with the second episodic book, Mirrors.Who am I? My name is Christy Snow. I'm seventeen and I'm about to die. I'm buried in a coffin under tons of concrete. No one knows where I am. My heart sounds like a monster with clobber feet, running straight toward me... -
![Escape! by Iain Rob Wright]()
Escape! by Iain Rob Wright
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsBrand new Horror novel from acclaimed author Iain Rob Wright. Can you figure out the secrets of "the room" and escape before it's too late?Cheryl is about to learn that the people she works with are keeping a secret. One they are willing to kill for.Cheryl is the new girl at work, which is why she feels like she doesn't have a choice when she's asked to go on a "company outing... -
![The Islanders by Caroline Mitchell]()
The Islanders by Caroline Mitchell
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsShe thinks the island will keep her safe—she is wrong.Traumatised by the death of a child in her care, top London paediatrician Claire seeks refuge on remote Selkie Island in the wilds of the Irish Sea with her husband Daniel and their baby daughter Kitty... -
![Disturbed by Jennifer Jaynes]()
Disturbed by Jennifer Jaynes
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA captivating psychological thriller from #1 USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Jaynes.On Halloween night five years ago, Chelsea Dutton’s college roommates were viciously stabbed to death, and Chelsea was critically injured. She was found hiding in her apartment’s bathtub, barely clinging to life... -
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![Keep It In The Family by John Marrs]()
Keep It In The Family by John Marrs
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn this chilling novel from bestselling author John Marrs, a young couple’s house hides terrible secrets—and not all of them are confined to the past.Mia and Finn are busy turning a derelict house into their dream home when Mia unexpectedly falls pregnant. But just when they think the house is ready, Mia discovers a chilling message scored into a skirting board: I WILL SAVE THEM FROM THE ATTIC... -
![You're Family Now by Jack Stainton]()
You're Family Now by Jack Stainton
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratings⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘ EPIC!! EPIC!! EPIC!! This book had EVERYTHING I love in a book!! ' Goodreads ReviewerHe only had to do one thing. Love her family…Matt Walker was a chancer; he’d spent his entire profession chasing the next job. His personal life took on a similar mantra; a succession of one-night stands and brief relationships. Life was slowly drifting him by... -
![No One Saw a Thing by Andrea Mara]()
No One Saw a Thing by Andrea Mara
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsTwo children get on the train. Only one gets off...No one saw it happen.You stand on a crowded tube platform in London. Your two little girls jump on the train ahead of you. As you try to join them, the doors slide shut and the train moves away, leaving you behind.Everyone is lying.By the time you get to the next stop, you've convinced yourself that everything will be fine... -
![Strangers by Dean Koontz]()
Strangers by Dean Koontz
Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsSix strangers are unaccountably seized by nightmares, attacks of fear, and bouts of uncharacteristic behavior. The six begin to seek each other out as puzzling photographs and messages arrive, indicating that the cause may lie in a forgotten weekend stay at an isolated Nevada motel. Koontz has topped a fine roster of horror and suspense novels with an almost unbearably suspenseful page-turner... -
![The Suicide House by Charlie Donlea]()
The Suicide House by Charlie Donlea
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA chilling murder in a prestigious prep school is at the heart of this riveting new novel from acclaimed author Charlie Donlea, featuring forensic reconstructionist Rory Moore and her psychologist partner, Lane Phillips. Inside the walls of Indiana's elite Westmont Preparatory High School, expectations run high and rules are strictly enforced... -
![Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney]()
Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsThe New York Times bestselling Queen of Twists returns…with a family reunion that leads to murder.After years of avoiding each other, Daisy Darker’s entire family is assembling for Nana’s 80th birthday party in Nana’s crumbling gothic house on a tiny tidal island. Finally back together one last time, when the tide comes in, they will be cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours... -
![The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane by Laird Koenig]()
The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane by Laird Koenig
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAlone in the darkened house, with only fire's glow and thirteen flickering candles for illumination, silent except for the mounting chords of a Liszt concerto, Rynn was preparing a solemn celebration. Until a knock at the door shattered sanctuary.Rynn is the little girl who lives in the house at the end of the lane with her father-or so she says... -
![Prey by James Carol]()
Prey by James Carol
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHAS JEFFERSON WINTER FINALLY MET HIS MATCH?Six years ago a young married couple were found brutally stabbed to death in their home in Upstate New York. Local police arrested a suspect who later committed suicide... -
![The Escape Room by L.D. Smithson]()
The Escape Room by L.D. Smithson
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsEverything is a clue.Eight strangers arrive at a remote sea fort off the coast of England. They are here to take part in The Fortress, a mysterious reality TV show in which contestants have to solve a series of complex puzzles. But this is no game, and the consequences of failure are more deadly than anyone anticipated.No one leaves... -
![Carrie by Stephen King]()
Carrie by Stephen King
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 81 ratingsA modern classic, Carrie introduced a distinctive new voice in American fiction -- Stephen King. The story of misunderstood high school girl Carrie White, her extraordinary telekinetic powers, and her violent rampage of revenge, remains one of the most barrier-breaking and shocking novels of all time.Make a date with terror and live the nightmare that is.. -
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![We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer]()
We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsThe Turn of the Key meets Parasite in this eerily haunting debut and Reddit hit—soon to be a Netflix original movie starring Blake Lively—about two homeowners whose lives are turned upside down when the house’s previous residents unexpectedly visit... -
![A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers]()
A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsFood critic Dorothy Daniels loves what she does. Discerning, meticulous, and very, very smart, Dorothy’s clear mastery of the culinary arts make it likely that she could, on any given night, whip up a more inspired dish than any one of the chefs she writes about... -
![Ward D by Freida McFadden]()
Ward D by Freida McFadden
Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsMedical student Amy Brenner is spending the night on a locked psychiatric ward.Amy has been dreading her evening working on Ward D, the hospital’s inpatient mental health unit. There are very specific reasons why she never wanted to do this required overnight rotation. Reasons nobody can ever find out... -
![The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz]()
The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz
Rated: 3.95 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsThe Plot meets Please Join Us in this psychological suspense debut about a young author at an exclusive writer’s retreat that descends into a nightmare.Alex has all but given up on her dreams of becoming a published author when she receives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: attend an exclusive, month-long writing retreat at the estate of feminist horror writer Roza Vallo... -
![One of Us Is Next by Karen M. McManus, Карен М. Макманус]()
One of Us Is Next by Karen M. McManus, Карен М. Макманус
Rated: 3.95 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsCome on, Bayview, you know you've missed this.A ton of copycat gossip apps have popped up since Simon died, but in the year since the Bayview four were cleared of his shocking death, no one's been able to fill the gossip void quite like he could. The problem is no one has the facts.Until now. This time it's not an app, though—it's a game. Truth or Dare.Phoebe's the first target... -
![Eyeshot by Taylor Adams]()
Eyeshot by Taylor Adams
Rated: 3.95 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsJames and Elle Eversman are a young couple travelling through the Mojave desert on their way to a new life. When their car mysteriously breaks down they are stranded in the middle of nowhere without much water and no cell-phone reception.A mile away a deadly sniper has them in his cross-hairs. They are pinned down behind their broken-down car, surrounded by open ground in all directions... -
![The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky, Голди Молдавски]()
The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky, Голди Молдавски
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsNew girl Rachel Chavez is eager to make a fresh start at Manchester Prep. But as one of the few scholarship kids, Rachel struggles to fit in, and when she gets caught up in a prank gone awry, she ends up with more enemies than friends... -
![The Butcher by Jennifer Hillier]()
The Butcher by Jennifer Hillier
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA rash of grisly serial murders plagued Seattle until the infamous "Beacon Hill Butcher" was finally hunted down and killed by police chief Edward Shank in 1985. Now, some thirty years later, Shank, retired and widowed, is giving up his large rambling Victorian house to his grandson Matt, whom he helped raise... -
![Not a Speck of Light: Stories by Laird Barron]()
Not a Speck of Light: Stories by Laird Barron
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt’s about to get very dark. Bram Stoker Award-winning author Laird Barron returns to the dark and dreadful with his fifth horror collection, which weaves sixteen weird tales into a mosaic of the bloody and the macabre. Bring a flashlight and a book of matches. Where we’re going, there’s not a speck of light... -
![The Liar's Daughter by Megan Cooley Peterson]()
The Liar's Daughter by Megan Cooley Peterson
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsPiper was raised in a cult. She just doesn't know it. Seventeen-year-old Piper knows that Father is a Prophet. Infallible. The chosen one.She would do anything for Father. That's why she takes care of all her little sisters. That's why she runs end-of-the-world drills. That's why she never asks questions. Because Father knows best.Until the day he doesn't... -
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![The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark]()
The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsGhostwriter Olivia Dumont has spent her entire professional life hiding the fact that she is the only child of legendary horror author Vincent Taylor, famous not only for his novels but for being the prime suspect in the brutal slaying of his siblings... -
![Smilin' Sam's Corn Maze by Stephanie Perry Scissom]()
Smilin' Sam's Corn Maze by Stephanie Perry Scissom
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen her seven-year-old daughter Lizzy disappeared into a corn maze on Halloween night in 1984, Catherine Bryant didn’t think she’d survive the loss.For nearly forty years, Catherine has struggled with her grief and guilt, so when her doctor delivers a fatal diagnosis, it’s almost a relief.But something is happening to Catherine... -
![Wonderland by Jennifer Hillier]()
Wonderland by Jennifer Hillier
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratings"Top of the line thriller writing...You better call in sick, because you're not going anywhere until you finish reading it. Oh, and you might want to lock the door, too. Just to be safe." --#1 bestselling author Jeffery Deaver Fans of Chelsea Cain and Lisa Gardner will devour this edgy thriller about the gruesome secrets hidden beneath a small-town amusement park... -
![The Last One by Will Dean]()
The Last One by Will Dean
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen Caz steps onboard the exclusive cruise liner RMS Atlantica, it’s the start of a vacation of a lifetime with her new love, Pete. On their first night they explore the ship, eat, dance, make friends, but when Caz wakes the next morning, Pete is missing.And when she walks out into the corridor, all the cabin doors are open. To her horror, she soon realizes that the ship is completely empty... -
![The Quiet Ones by Brandon Massey]()
The Quiet Ones by Brandon Massey
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom award-winning suspense author Brandon Massey comes a thrilling novel of buried secrets and stunning revelations... LOST Twenty-five years ago, a jealous ex-boyfriend murdered Mallory Steele's mother. With no close family to take in Mallory and her older sister, the girls became wards of the state--and were soon ripped apart, sent to live with different foster families... -
![Seat 7A by Sebastian Fitzek]()
Seat 7A by Sebastian Fitzek
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIt's irrational.You know that, you’ve checked the statistics. Flying is safer than driving — nineteen times safer.You also know that should something happen, seat 7A, according to the numbers, is the worst place to be sitting.But here you are, in seat 7A, buckled up for take off, unable to shake off the feeling of dread, the feeling that something is about to go very wrong.Irrational, perhaps...
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