I'd add 'The Hanging Girl' by Jussi Adler-Olsen to the list, though the translation came out that year. It's part of his Department Q series. The cold-case aspect means the suspense is a slower burn, piecing together an old disappearance linked to a rural commune, but when the pieces start clicking, it's utterly relentless. The thrills feel earned, not just shock for shock's sake.
I keep a list of books I've read each year, and I remember 2017 had a few that really made me stay up late. 'The Woman in Cabin 10' by Ruth Ware was everywhere that summer, and for good reason. The locked-room mystery on a luxury yacht, the unreliable narrator, the creeping dread—it was classic suspense done right.
But a quieter one that stuck with me was 'Emma in the Night' by Wendy Walker. It explores familial manipulation through the lens of two sisters who disappeared, one of whom returns. The twists aren't just about a big reveal; they're woven into the psychology of the characters, which made the unease feel more personal and lasting.
I'd also throw 'Sleeping Beauties' by Stephen and Owen King into the mix. It's a longer, weirder social-thriller premise about a world where women fall asleep and are wrapped in cocoons, leaving the men to descend into chaos. The suspense comes more from the societal breakdown than a single murderer, but the tension builds page after page.
Man, 2017 was a solid year for that genre. People slept on 'The Thirst' by Jo Nesbø, probably because it's the 11th Harry Hole book. But you don't need the whole backstory to get sucked into this one—a killer using a dating app and a vampire motif in Oslo. Nesbø just has this way of making police procedure feel claustrophobic and urgent.
'Final Girls' by Riley Sager was the other big hit that year. The whole 'final girl' horror trope applied to a real-world survivor grappling with memory and new threats. The pacing is breakneck, and you're never quite sure who to trust, including the protagonist. Some critics called the twist divisive, but I was flipping pages so fast I didn't care.
2026-07-15 16:13:06
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Trapped by the Ruthless Billionaire
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Jenna Nova watched everything taken from her when her father died. Yet, it wasn't as gut drenching as seeing her boyfriend eating her Stepmothers' pussy after being kicked out of her father's multinational company. Getting drunk at the bar and ending up in the wrong room. She woke up in the company of a dying man, saving his life in the process.
Everything changed when she found out about his identity. That man was Casper Blade, the newly inaugurated CEO of Blade Towers and ruler of the dark mafia. Not only was he cold and ruthless but it was also rumored that he was the devil disguised as a human. He was attractive to the kill but his heart was as dark as coal.
He was everything she feared and before she realized, he got her just where he wanted her. Against his dangerous family and all odds, he broke protocols just for her. Still, Jenna couldn't accept his obsessive love and tried to escape but why couldn't he let her go? He had taken over her mind and when he found her, she begged to be left alone. His lips parted slightly, and he spoke like a demon. "Return my heart, and I will let you go."
This is a collection of hot romance and erotic stories that will make your heart beat faster and your mind feel excited.
Are you ready for a journey full of love, desire, drama, and passion? This book has 10+ short stories, each with different characters and different feelings. Every chapter gives you a new experience and a new story to enjoy. If you love romance, emotion, and spicy moments, this book is for you. Start reading… your new favorite stories are waiting.
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~~
When Thalia–an assassin–was sent to murder her latest target, she expected a quick mission.
She didn't expect to be in bed with the man she was meant to destroy.
Caught between duty and desire, one mistake could cost her everything.
Because if her boss finds out…
She won't live to tell the story.
"What are you doing?" She asked breathlessly as she placed her hands on the hard surface of his chest.
"I don't want you to run this time." He responded. She could feel the deep rumble of his voice through his chest as she slid her hands down an inch over his pectoral muscles. It was an involuntary move but as she felt his chest flex beneath her touch, she couldn't help but feel proud that she caused a reaction in him.
His breath fanned over her lips and subconsciously her tongue darted out to wet them. "You don't want me to run?" Juliet asked as she regained her footing, and he slid his hands up to her rib cage slowly.
"No." His voice was hard and firm. "No running."
"No running from what?" She knew what he was saying but she wanted him to do something about it. It was a burning need racing through her body. Her eyes closed as the tip of his nose brushed against hers.
"Me." At that moment her world stopped, and she refused to wait a second longer. She eagerly pressed forward to grab his lips with her own. They were soft and warm, but she only had a moment to dwell on that fact before he kissed her back with a heavy passion. One of his hands left her side to weave its way into her hair, pulling her impossibly closer.
❤️
He was dangerous, she just didn't know it.
He was willing to give up everything for her. All he wanted was a woman he could call home.
What happens when she learns his secret?
What happens when his secret risks her life?
Raven Noir, a lethal assassin scarred by a decade-old rape, infiltrates billionaire Damien Blackwood’s elite nightclub empire as a masked dancer her cover to get close enough to torture and kill the man who unknowingly fathered her daughter. Damien, captivated by her icy control and commanding presence, pulls her deeper with lucrative nights and charged intimacy. But when he encounters her identical twin, the buried memories flood back. Mistaking the twin for his victim, guilt drives him to propose marriage. Devastated, Raven faces an impossible choice, expose the truth, seize her revenge, or let obsession destroy them all in a dark, slow-burn thriller of betrayal and forbidden desire.
We love reading novels, fall in love with the characters, sometimes envy the main girl for getting the perfect male lead... but what happens when you get inside your own novel and get to meet your perfect main lead and bonus...get treated like the female lead?! As the clock struck 12, Arielle Taylor is pulled inside her own novel. This cinderella is over the moon as her Prince Charming showers her with his attention but what would happen when she finds herself falling for her fairy godmother instead?
Please read my interview with Goodnovel at: https://tinyurl.com/y5zb3tug
Cover pic: pixabay
Looking back, 2017 had a bunch of books that seemed to dominate the conversation for a while. I'd still recommend 'Sing, Unburied, Sing' by Jesmyn Ward without hesitation. It's the kind of book where the atmosphere settles into your bones—the prose is so visceral and haunted, it just sticks with you.
For something completely different in the speculative lane, 'The Power' by Naomi Alderman made me argue with my friends for weeks. That premise about women developing a physical advantage just unravels society in such a fascinating, uncomfortable way. It felt very of its moment but the questions it raises are timeless.
And honestly, you can't go wrong with 'Lincoln in the Bardo' by George Saunders. It's weird, yeah, but it's a beautiful, funny, sad mosaic about grief. It took me a bit to get into the rhythm of all those voices, but once I did, I couldn't put it down.