Books like 'Should Have Known Better'
Readers who enjoyed Should Have Known Better by A.J. McDine also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
psychological suspense thriller dark family female-mc crime
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Autumn's Fear by Mary Stone
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsDon’t fear the dark. It’s the light that blinds...and kills.Forensic and criminal psychologist Dr. Autumn Trent is trying to find her groove in her transition to the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit. But can her soft heart continue to take a beating? Will her impulsive spirit continue to get her in trouble? Probably... -
The Lullaby Man by Anni Taylor
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA decade ago, The Lullaby Man preyed upon young girls in Tallman's Valley. He stole into their lives, whispered in their ears, spoke of love...But only the girls themselves ever knew about him. Abby Wakeland was fourteen then. Now twenty-four, she's found the courage to tell her mother--Senior Detective Kate Wakeland--about what happened... -
The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden
Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars · 11 ratings“Don’t go in the guest bedroom.” A shadow falls on Douglas Garrick’s face as he touches the door with his fingertips. “My wife… she’s very ill.” As he continues showing me their incredible penthouse apartment, I have a terrible feeling about the woman behind closed doors... -
The Surrogate's Gift by L.G. Davis
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsHer one good deed is about to turn into her worst nightmare.Becoming a surrogate for Marcia and Travis Thorpe is Grace’s chance to overcome her inner demons.Nothing can go wrong. Her life depends on it.Determined to focus on the pregnancy, she drops everything and accepts the Thorpes’ offer to move in with them until the baby is born. A simple decision. One big mistake... -
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The Wife Upstairs by Freida McFadden
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsVictoria Barnett has it all.A great career. A handsome and loving husband. A beautiful home in the suburbs and a plan to fill it with children. Life is perfect—or so it seems.Then she’s in a terrible accident… and everything falls apart.Now Victoria is unable to walk. She can’t feed or dress herself. She can’t even speak. She is confined to the top floor of her house with twenty-four-hour care... -
The Stepchild by Nicole Trope
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThree-year-old Millie Everleigh disappears on a crisp winter’s day, and nothing is as it seems…It’s the phone call every mother dreads.I’m climbing into the car after a trip to the grocery store. As the engine starts, my phone rings. It’s my stepdaughter, Shelby, who is babysitting my three-year-old little girl Millie.‘I only went upstairs for a second,’ she says through her sobs. ‘She’s gone... -
Law of Five by Robin Mahle
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe nationwide manhunt for a killer begins and the media quickly dubs him the “Highway Hunter.” Bodies left roadside on display with horrific markings; a calling card. But this case is miles away from Katie Reid and her life with Detective Marshall Avery.That is, until she gets the call from her old friend and reporter, Marc Aguilar, who believes that the killer could be coming their way... -
Run Away With Me by Daniel Hurst
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsYou can run but you can't hide...Laura is feeling content with her life. She is married, she has a good home and she is due to give birth to her first child any day now. But her perfect world is shattered when her husband comes home flustered and afraid. He's made a terrible mistake. He's done a bad thing. And now the police are going to be looking for him...There's only one way out of this... -
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsEvie Porter has everything a nice, Southern girl could want: a perfect, doting boyfriend, a house with a white picket fence and a garden, a fancy group of friends. The only catch: Evie Porter doesn’t exist.The identity comes to Evie Porter. Once she’s given a name and location by her mysterious boss Mr. Smith, she learns everything there is to know about the town and the people in it... -
His Garden of Bones by Vickie McKeehan
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsNot all flowers are grown with love. Years earlier, teenage girls began to vanish off the streets of Seattle. Now, they're turning up dead, their mutilated bodies left in prominent locations around the city. Skye Cree suspects there are more... -
The Brighton Mermaid by Dorothy Koomson
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsBrighton Beach, 1993Teenagers Nell and Jude find the body of a young woman and when no one comes to claim her, she becomes known as the Brighton Mermaid. Nell is still struggling to move on when, three weeks later, Jude disappears.Twenty-five years on, Nell is forced to quit her job to find out who the Brighton Mermaid really was - and what happened to her best friend that summer... -
Last Seen by Lucy Clarke
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsIn a small seaside community, there’s always somebody watching… Twisty, pacy, and superbly plotted, Last Seen is the perfect psychological page-turner for fans of Clare Mackintosh and Sabine Durrant. Seven years ago, two boys went missing at sea – and only one was brought to shore. The Sandbank, a remote stretch of coast dotted with beach huts, was scarred forever... -
Do You Remember? by Freida McFadden
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsTess Strebel can’t recognize her own face.She can’t recognize her home. Her bedroom is unfamiliar. And she can’t remember the handsome stranger lying next to her in bed. A stranger who claims he’s her husband.Tess reads a letter in her own handwriting, composed during a rare lucid day, explaining her life as it now exists: She was in a terrible car accident one year ago... -
Nowhere to Hide by Keri Beevis
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsDuncan Stone is one of the country's most eligible and handsome bachelors, and he wants to take me, Callie Parker, on a date. At first I am surprised and flattered, the envy of my friends. Then when our whirlwind romance escalates and he asks me to move in with him, it's like a dream come true. But as I get to really know my new boyfriend, my fairytale turns into a nightmare... -
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The Night She Vanished by Wendy Dranfield
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMy parents seem to be the perfect couple. But no one knows what I know... Everyone in the small Midwestern town of Henderson looks up to my perfect parents. With dependable jobs as a midwife and the town sheriff, they help this close-knit community feel safe. But the locals didn't grow up in my parents' house. They don't know what I know. And they wouldn't believe me if I told them.. -
Did I Kill My Husband? by A.J. Campbell
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe police officer’s voice is steady as he tells me the news. ‘Your husband is in hospital.’ My heart pounds. I think about my children, safely tucked up in bed. What will happen to us if he loses his life? And more importantly… do the police know where I really was tonight?Everybody thinks Michael and I are the perfect couple. But everybody is wrong... -
The Final Step by Rob Kaufman
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTHERE’S SOMETHING NOT RIGHT WITH ELLEN BROOKS . She’s always angry, bitter, and resentful of anyone who appears to be enjoying life. At thirty-nine years old, she seldom leaves the house, doesn’t have a friend in the world, and drinks too much... way too much. In the dead of winter, she makes the unusual decision to visit her sister, Carrie, and her family for the weekend... -
Every Pretty Thing by Chris Mooney
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn Every Pretty Thing serial killer hunter Darby McCormick finds herself in Montana, looking for a friend. Little does she realise that a murderer is waiting for her . . .She came to find her friend.Instead she found a killer.Serial killer expert Darby McCormick gets a call from FBI Agent Jackson Cooper, who has been contacted by a woman who's been in hiding for twenty years... -
Beneath These Walls by Shade Owens
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSix months ago, my husband tried to kill me.Now, my sons and I are living in an old Victorian house passed down to me by my uncle. The house may be big, but the town is small... it's safe, which is something I haven't felt in a very long time. And best of all, it's very far away from my ex.As soon as we move in, however, I discover that this house has an eerie reputation... -
The Guilty One by Kiersten Modglin
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsYour husband was involved in a fatal accident.One horrific sentence, delivered in an impersonal phone call, changes Celine Thompson’s life in a second. But when she’s asked to identify his body, what she discovers sends everything she thought she knew about her life crashing down.This man is not my husband... -
Glen Affric by Karine Giébel
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBestselling French author of psychological suspense Karine Giebel makes her American debut with this dark and haunting novel about the unbreakable bond between two brothers, both treated unfairly by the world—for fans of Karin Slaughter and Stieg Larsson.“I’m so stupid. I barely have a brain at all... -
Corrupted by Sin by Kennedy Layne
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA chilling confession unleashes deadly secrets…In downtown D.C., an emergency surgery is performed on a prominent psychiatrist following a multi-car accident. The ICU nurse on duty has heard many interesting utterances from her groggy patients over the years... -
The Forgetting by Hannah Beckerman
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of If Only I Could Tell You comes the story of two women determined to uncover the truth. But how can you trust the present if you can't remember the past?“Left me gasping. Brilliant.” —Alex Michaelides“Has one of the best story twists I have ever read…superb writing.” —Ruth Jones“Resonates long after you turn the final page... -
The Missing Widow by L.G. Davis
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsI thought we would be safe here. But I was wrong…My son Clark and I live in a beautiful cabin outside a rural town, somewhere nobody will find us. I could not have found a more perfect place to start over, shielded by the trees and far away from prying eyes. But when I find a newspaper clipping on my porch, it drives fear into my bones. Widow wanted for murder screams the headline... -
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The Concierge by Miranda Rijks
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThey hired an assistant to help them. But she has other plans.High-flying duo Goldie and Braun Delucci run a major film production company. But recently their gilded lives were touched by tragedy when one of their leading actors, Ally, died in a car crash.What the Deluccis don’t realise is that their newly hired private assistant is actually Ally’s sister... -
One Little Lie by Christopher Greyson
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTHE TRUTH COULD COST HER EVERYTHING.Kate had high hopes when she moved to her husband‘s hometown, but her domestic bliss was short-lived. Blindsided by her spouse’s very public affair with his high school sweetheart and a painful divorce, Kate’s determined to hold onto custody of her kids and pull herself together... -
The Thorn Girl by Laura Elliot
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA swallow flutters its wings into a dimly lit attic as Adele Foyle stumbles across the secret diary of the mother she has never met, and a shocking account of a crime committed over twenty-five years ago... -
Liar Liar by L.G. Davis
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsHe swore he would always protect me, that he would take my darkest secret to the grave. But I’m starting to think he hasn’t told me his…My husband and I are the dream couple: deeply in love, the envy of all our friends and neighbours. He surprises me with flowers, I make him his favourite meals and prepare picnics to enjoy with our son. It’s little gestures like this that keep our romance alive... -
The Killer's Home by A.J. Carter
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsDo you really know your neighbours?Once again, my irresponsible sister has instantly fallen for the wrong guy. Rook seems like the perfect man on first meeting, but even I can see there’s something evil behind his eyes.And I’m right. It’s been two days since Fern went into his house, and nobody has heard from her since... -
My Sister's Husband by Nicola Marsh
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe sunroom at the back of the house is just as I remember. I can’t taste homemade lemonade or smell oatmeal cookies without thinking of home, of the beautiful cliffs of Martino Bay, and I feel welcomed. But all thoughts of a happy family reunion are destroyed the moment I see him… He’s as handsome as I remember: broad shoulders, piercing blue eyes, hair the colour of burnt toffee... -
The Guilty Girl by Ruth Harrow
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsChloe is serving a life sentence. In her own home.Ever since the horrific day her mother died, Chloe's life has been anything but normal - more like a carefully constructed prison. Her father hasn’t let her go to school, have friends or leave the house alone.As she grows up, Chloe begins to question the motives behind her dad's obsessive control... -
Lost Child by D.S. Butler
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsShe only turned her back for a moment but that was all it took.Two years ago, Beth Farrow turned her back on her three-year-old niece, Jenna, for just a few seconds. She disappeared without a trace... -
The Arrangement by Miranda Rijks
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsHow well do you know your daughter?Grace is living through every mother’s worst nightmare. Her student daughter Abi went away on a dream vacation to South Africa - and was murdered... -
Til Death Do Us Part by Daniel Hurst
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsMegan thinks that she has the perfect husband and the perfect life. Craig works so that she doesn't have to, leaving her free to relax all day in their beautiful and secluded country home.But when she starts to long for friends and purpose again, Megan applies for a job in London, much to her husband's disappointment. She thinks that he is upset because she is unhappy. But she has no idea... -
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Want to Know a Secret? by Freida McFadden
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsEveryone has secrets.YouTube baking sensation April Masterson knows the secret to the perfect gooey brownies. Or how to make key lime squares that will melt in your mouth. But if you keep watching her offline, you may find out some other secrets about April. Secrets she’d rather you didn’t know... -
The Mother Of All Things by Gabriel Blake
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsDARK BEGINNINGS, BRUTAL ENDINGSA traumatic event and the break-up of her marriage returns Elaine to her childhood home where she embarks on renovating the run-down farmhouse as she reconnects with her mother and entertains her two children over the summer holidays... -
With Friends Like These by Keri Beevis
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA reunion of friends in remote Scotland turns into a terrifying ordeal in this twisting crime thriller by the international bestselling author of Dying To Tell, Every Little Breath and The People Next Door.Billy Maguire, on his way to Scotland for a reunion with his university friends, stops for a few drinks en route... -
Stone Cold Fox by Rachel Koller Croft
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA perfectly wicked debut thriller about an ambitious woman who, after a lifetime of conning alongside her mother, wants to leave her dark past behind and marry the heir to one of the country's wealthiest families.Like any enterprising woman, Bea knows what she’s worth and is determined to get all she deserves—it just so happens that what she deserves is to marry rich. Filthy rich... -
It's One of Us by J.T. Ellison
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings"A heart-stoppingly tense thriller about the price of secrets and the layers behind every marriage." —Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author of The Woman In Cabin 10Everybody lies. Even the ones you think you know best of all . . . Olivia Bender designs exquisite home interiors that satisfy the most demanding clients... -
Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe new thrilling novel from Megan Miranda, the instant New York Times bestselling author of All the Missing Girls, The Last to Vanish, and The Only Survivors.When Hazel Sharp, daughter of Mirror Lake’s longtime local detective, unexpectedly inherits her childhood home, she’s warily drawn back to the town—and people—she left behind almost a decade earlier... -
My Husband's Affair by Ruth Heald
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWe promised forever. But only one of us will leave this marriage alive…I stare at the messages between my husband Rob and another woman, their plans to run away together bringing tears to my eyes as I stand, trembling, in our luxurious apartment. I thought I had the perfect marriage... -
You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAn exclusive thriller writer’s retreat hosted on a private island turns lethal when one of the authors is found murdered in this twisty locked room mystery.When renowned anonymous author J. R... -
A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA woman invited to her wealthy fiance’s family retreat realizes they are hiding a terrible secret—and that she’s been there before, by the bestselling author of What Lies in the Woods.A whirlwind romance.When Theodora Scott met Connor—wealthy, charming, and a member of the powerful Dalton family—she fell in love in an instant... -
The Engagement by Samantha Hayes
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsYou thought you had escaped him. Until he proposed to your daughter.‘There’s someone I want you to meet,’ Belle says, as a man draws up to her side. He’s tall with dark hair and stubble on his square jaw. He’s dressed in expensive-looking clothes – tan trousers and a fitted navy shirt... -
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Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCatherine Sterling thinks she knows her mother. Ruth Sterling is quiet, hardworking, and lives for her daughter. All her life, it's been just the two of them against the world. But now, Catherine is ready to spread her wings, move from home, and begin a new career. And Ruth Sterling will do anything to prevent that from happening.Ruth Sterling thinks she knows her daughter... -
Heartbreaker by Tania Carver
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAfter years of abuse, Gemma Adderley has finally found the courage to leave her violent husband. She has taken one debilitating beating too many, endured one esteem-destroying insult too much. Taking her seven-year-old daughter Carly, she leaves the house, determined to salvage what she can of her life... -
Cross My Heart by Megan Collins
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsShe has his dead wife’s heart; the one she wants is his. The author of The Family Plot brings her signature prose to a twisty novel about a heart transplant patient who becomes romantically obsessed with her donor’s husband.Rosie Lachlan wants nothing more than to find The One... -
The Narrator by K.L. Slater
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhat if the chance of a perfect life… put your daughter in grave danger?Being a single mother is tough, but I’d do anything for my little girl Scarlet. I’d given up on my career as a voice actor when the call came, but suddenly I was the new narrator for a secret book from bestselling author Philippa Roberts, who has been missing for eight months. It was a lifeline for me and my daughter... -
Two Dead Wives by Adele Parks
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAn overprotective father has lived as a recluse until his adult daughter – Stacie Jones – returns from Paris, in need of radical brain surgery. Peculiarly, he appears to almost welcome her illness, it does at least mean she is back under his roof – and his control.In the meantime, the country is rapt with the scandalous case of murdered bigamist Kylie Gillingham... -
No One Can Hear You Scream by A.B. Whelan
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA ruthlessly addicting and terrifyingly twisted story of a family stuck on a secluded mountain at the mercy of an obsessed fan of the woman.It started as a vacation of a lifetime.Jennifer Parker is a successful YouTube influencer living in a beautiful home outside Los Angeles with her three children...
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