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Indian Express
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again…': 5 romantic thrillers for fans of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca
'Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.' Few opening lines in literature are as haunting—or as instantly transporting—as the first sentence of Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier's 1938 masterpiece of gothic suspense. With its brooding atmosphere, psychological tension, and a romance shadowed by secrets, Rebecca continues to hold readers in a thrall. Even Hollywood keeps returning to her stories (Rebecca, The Birds, My Cousin Rachel). If you love Rebecca's intoxicating blend of romance, mystery, and gothic dread, here are five modern novels that will keep you up all night. 1. The Silent Patient – Alex Michaelides A psychological thriller with a haunting love story at its core, The Silent Patient follows Alicia Berenson, a woman who shoots her husband and then refuses to speak. Theo Faber, a forensic psychologist, becomes obsessed with uncovering her motives—but the truth is far more twisted than he could imagine. With its gothic undertones and shocking revelations, this is a perfect read for Rebecca fans who crave obsession and deception. 2. The Wife Between Us – Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen A clever, twisty tale of marriage, jealousy, and revenge, this novel plays with perception in the best way. Is the ex-wife bitter and unstable, or is there something far more sinister lurking beneath the surface of her replacement's picture-perfect life? The shifting narratives and psychological tension make this a gripping companion to Rebecca's themes of jealousy and hidden pasts. 3. Mexican Gothic – Silvia Moreno-Garcia For those who adored Rebecca's eerie atmosphere, Mexican Gothic delivers a chilling tale of a woman drawn into a decaying mansion's dark secrets. When Noemí Taboada is sent to check on her ailing cousin, she uncovers a family curse, a seductive yet dangerous husband, and a house that seems alive with malice. Gothic romance meets psychological horror in this intoxicating read. 4. The Death of Mrs Westaway – Ruth Ware A modern gothic mystery dripping with suspense, this novel follows Hal, a struggling tarot reader who receives a mysterious inheritance letter—but the deceased woman may not actually be her grandmother. As Hal infiltrates the eerie Westaway estate, she's drawn into a web of lies, betrayals, and long-buried family secrets. The brooding setting and unreliable characters make this a must-read for Rebecca devotees. 5. The Last Mrs Parrish – Liv Constantine A seductive, cunning thriller about ambition and revenge, this book follows Amber Patterson as she infiltrates the glamorous life of Daphne Parrish—only to discover that perfection comes at a price. With its themes of obsession, manipulation, and the dark side of desire, it's a deliciously wicked read that echoes Rebecca's exploration of jealousy and deception. Honorable Mention: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (if you somehow haven't read it yet!) Which of these will you read first? Let us know in the comments.
Indian Express
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Ten psychological thrillers that will keep you guessing till the end
(Written by Prachi Mishra) Not every day, one cracks open a novel and finds oneself immersed, hook, line, and sinker. This happens more often than not when one is presented a riveting mystery wrapped with an unreliable narrator and a red-herring or two thrown in. Here's a list of psychological thrillers that will keep you hooked with twists at every page turn. Beware, some might leave you questioning everything – even yourself. (Photo: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaleides One must be living under a rock to not have heard of this thriller. Luckily, the hype around this is totally justified. It's a little hard to believe that it is the author's first novel. It is the story of Alicia Berenson, a famous painter is accused of her husband's murder. The trouble is she hasn't uttered a single word since the incident. Enter Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist determined to get her talking. The ending? Not to giving up the plot is simply jaw-dropping. (Photo: Hoover is mostly known for her romance novels. But, her novel Verity is an unexpected one. The plot mainly revolves around Jeremy, Verity and Lowen. Struggling writer Lowen is hired to complete bestselling author Verity Crawford's books and uncovers an unfinished autobiography hidden in the Crawford home. What she reads will haunt you, and make you question what the actual truth is. (Photo: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins The entire story runs in first-person narrative, told through the eyes of three women – Rachel, Megan and Anna. The main protagonist Rachel, a woman who takes the same train every day, fixates on a seemingly perfect couple she sees from the window. When the woman goes missing, Rachel finds herself dangerously involved. Every character has secrets—and none can be trusted. (Photo: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn Flynn's debut is as haunting as it is immersive. Journalist Camille Preaker returns to her hometown to cover the murder of two young girls, only to confront the psychological trauma of her past. With themes of self-harm, familial toxicity, and suppressed memories, it's disturbing but impossible to forget. (Photo: Flynn's another novel, which can be said to have set the gold standard for modern psychological thrillers. When Amy Dunne goes missing, suspicion quickly falls on her husband, Nick. But as alternating narratives unfold, readers are thrust into a chilling game of manipulation, media frenzy, and marital madness. The twists are relentless. But, what is it that truly happened- the need and want of knowing the truth will simply keep you hooked? (Photo: The Housemaid by Freida McFadden A fast-paced thriller with a claustrophobic setting, this novel follows Millie, a woman hired to be a live-in housemaid for the wealthy Winchester family. Nina and Andrews welcome her to the family and everything seems perfect—until you see, it's not. Millie starts observing things but it's too late for her to back down now. Twisted power dynamics and shocking revelations make this a modern thriller worth devouring in one sitting. (Photo: Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris To outsiders, Jack and Grace appear to be the perfect attorney-homemaker couple. Jack seems to have the looks and wealth, Grace is elegant and pleasing. But behind their flawless facade lies a terrifying truth. The readers want to know what actually happens when Grace's well-organised parties get over and the doors get closed for the outside world. This book explores psychological control, manipulation, and what it means to be truly trapped in a relationship. (Photo: None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell Podcaster Alix Summers befriends Josie Fair, an ordinary woman with an oddly compelling presence. But as she digs deeper into Josie's story, Alix uncovers a disturbing life full of secrets—and begins to fear for her own safety. A brilliantly unsettling exploration of hidden identities and dangerous truths. Ultimately, Alix finds herself the subject of her crime podcast. (Photo: Before I Go to Sleep by Christine loses her memory every time she sleeps. Her life simply reduces to waking up each morning, with no recollection of her past life. With the help of her journal, she starts piecing together fragments, but what she uncovers is chilling. How much can you trust a person, who is telling you your own life story? (Photo: Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney Amber Reynolds reveals three things: she is in a coma, she sometimes lies, and that her husband doesn't love her anymore; narrating her life story from a hospital bed. She can't move or speak, but she can hear everything happening around her, voices of nurses, her husband and her sister. With timelines jumping between the past, the present, and her distorted mind, the reader is taken on a twisted journey full of secrets, betrayals, and surprises. (Photo: Liv Reese wakes up in a cab with no memory of how she got there and a message on her hand that says Stay Awake. As she pieces together clues, she realises she's living a nightmare that resets every time she sleeps. Fast, paranoid, and addictive, this one will keep you guessing till the end.
