Gillian Flynn’s debut novel Sharp Objects follows Camille Preaker, a journalist who’s just completed a brief stay at a psych ward.
When two pre-teen girls are murdered in their hometown, Camille is asked to cover the story. for years, she has barely spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother, or her beautiful but spoiled 13-year-old sister.
You are reading: Books like sharp objects
But now, from her childhood home, Camille realizes that she must confront the psychological puzzle of her own past if she is to understand the story and survive her return home.
While the novel didn’t experience the same level of mega-success as Gone Girl, there was a lot of renewed interest in the title when HBO picked up the rights to a miniseries starring Amy Adams.
Whether you’re a fan of the book or the TV adaptation, you may be craving a new read that’s as intriguing and twisted as flynn’s narrative, and we’ve got you covered with this list of books like sharp objects.
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books as sharp objects
here are 10 books of psychological suspense like sharp objects that will take you on a thrilling ride.
1. accomplice of stephanie kuehn
Cate Henry used to be a good girl, that is, before she started drinking, stealing, playing weird mind games with other kids, and making sure she always got her way.
his brother, jamie, was relieved when his sister was finally sent to a juvenile detention center for burning down their neighbor’s barn.
but now cate is coming home and she’s coming for jamie. She is determined to tell her little brother the truth about her past, a truth that she was never supposed to tell.
2. amy engel’s roanoke girls
After her mother’s suicide, 15-year-old Lane Roanoke moves to her grandparents’ sprawling estate in rural Kansas, along with her fireball cousin, Allegra.
But when Lane discovers a dark family secret, she runs fast and far. eleven years later, she is in Los Angeles when she receives a call that she is glad she is not there.
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while returning to kansas to help search for her cousin, lane may get a second chance with the boyfriend she left behind years ago. but she too will have to face the secret that made her pack.
3. you will meet me by megan abbott
katie and eric knox are dedicated to one cause: doing whatever it takes to help their daughter, devon, reach her full potential as a gymnast and hopefully make it to the olympics.
But when a violent death shakes her tight-knit gymnastics community, Katie tries to keep her family together while also being drawn to crime.
What she discovers about her daughter’s fears, her own marriage, and herself will force Katie to consider if Devon’s dream comes at too high a price.
4. big lies of liane moriarty
Like Sharp Objects, Big Little Lies got its own successful HBO adaptation with an all-star cast. and also as sharp objects, there is a murder at the center of this novel, but whose?
The more we get to know Madeline, Celeste, and Jane, the more we realize that each of them has a motive, and one of them may be the victim.
5. gillian flynn dark places
Libby Day was only seven years old when her mother and two sisters were murdered, and it was Libby who testified that her 15-year-old brother was the killer.
Now, 25 years later, it’s clear that libby still hasn’t gotten over her trauma. When he finds himself broke and beginning to doubt his memory of that night, Libby sets out to find the real killer. but will he be lucky enough to survive a second time?
6. we have always lived in shirley jackson’s castle
This gothic tale from 1962 follows mary katherine “merricat” blackwood and her sister constance as they continue to live in their spooky dilapidated mansion after the rest of their family dies under mysterious circumstances.
A fight ensues when a cousin arrives at their property and starts making references to the money the sisters keep locked in their father’s safe.
7. i promise not to tell by jennifer mcmahon
the night school nurse kate cypher returns home to care for her mother, a girl is murdered. The horrific crime is eerily similar to another from Kate’s childhood.
Thirty years earlier, her poor friend from, who was shunned and bullied by her classmates, was also brutally murdered. Del’s killer was never found, but as Kate becomes involved in this new case, her past and her present collide in terrifying and unexpected ways.
8. the secret place of tana french
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A year after a boy was found murdered at a girls’ boarding school, the case remains unsolved.
Detective Stephen Moran has been waiting for his chance to join the Dublin Murder Squad. When 16-year-old Holly Mackey shows him a photo of the boy with the caption, “I know who killed him,” Stephen teams up with Detective Antoinette Conway to reopen the case, under the watchful eye of Holly’s father, Detective Frank. mackey.
When clues seem to lead back to Holly’s tight-knit group of friends and her rival cabal, Stephen finds himself navigating the underworld of teenage girls.
9. eileen by ottessa moshfegh
eileen dunlop is a disturbed and unassuming young woman trapped caring for her alcoholic father and working as a secretary at a children’s prison.
When the vivacious Rebecca Saint John begins work as the new counselor at the juvenile detention center, Eileen can’t resist what appears to be a friendship that begins to blossom quickly. But her affection for Rebecca ultimately makes her an accessory to a crime beyond her wildest imagination.
10. louiseworthington medical glass
clinical psychologist emma-jane glass works too hard for her own good. she hasn’t taken a vacation in years. her desire to help a grieving mother out of a downward spiral borders on her professional obsession.
and when she publishes an insensitive article in defense of mothers who commit filicide, she starts receiving threatening letters.
Doctor Glass soon finds himself at the mercy of a sociopath. but as a doctor of the mind, she feels the need to help, even if it destroys her sanity and quite possibly her life.
is there a sequel to sharp objects?
no aftermath of sharp objects. However, if you’re a fan of Gillian Flynn’s work, you should definitely read her other bestsellers, including Lost Girl and Dark Places.
Fans of the book should also check out HBO’s award-winning miniseries adaptation starring Amy Adams.
do you have a favorite psychological thriller like sharp objects? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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