Hailey Brune – Opinion Columnist

When I was younger, I did a lot of reading. My selection was a bit limited, but I have read some decent thrillers and murder mysteries. A good thriller or suspense story has to have some surprises. The most satisfying types of stories are ones where you don’t know what will happen next. In honor of spooky season, I will share some that stick out to me. A disclaimer, some of these are not the epitome of writing, but that doesn’t stop them from being entertaining or featuring some good twists and turns. Also, my list is a little old, because reading takes a lot of concentration and school burns all of that out of me. They’re still good nonetheless, and are definitely worth a glance.
The first two books I’d like to suggest are written by Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl. The book I’d like to talk about first is called Sharp Objects. Camille, a writer from Chicago, is sent back home to report on a series of murders. Her anxiety grows as she is home for the first time in a decade and is being subjected to her mother’s strange personality. We learn how imperfect life really is in this small town. The best way I can describe it is suspenseful, amazing and immersive. It’s a shorter book, but the amount of story is crazy. It’s still one of my favorite books because of how well it’s written. This is one of the first books I suggest to people because of how good it is. I love books that can stop me from guessing the ending before it happens. This book does that and more. Flynn leads you to the ending and makes you think you’ve got it all figured out, before pulling the rug out from underneath you at the last second.
My second suggestion, also by Gillian Flynn, is her book Dark Places. We follow Libby as she tries to function as an adult. We follow along as she tries to figure what happened during her childhood that led to her family’s murder. She pieces it together years later through flashback chapters. This book took a while for me to read because it’s the type of story where you have to get a few chapters in before you figure out the set up. During my freshman year, I read the entire book in a week during J-term. Once I got myself to trust the process and not get discouraged, I was hooked. I found myself reading it while I walked to class, and spent an extra hour or two in Nobel so I could keep reading. By the end I was mad that I waited so long to read it. Flynn again does an amazing job leading you to the ending you think it will be. Then in the last few chapters pulls down the facade leaving you shocked.
My next suggestion is called, The Last Dead Girl by Harry Dolan. David is a charismatic house inspector who recently fell in love with Jana, an aspiring lawyer, before she mysteriously dies. We follow David as he tries to prove his innocence and attempts to find out what happened the night she passed. He tries to figure out who he fell in love with as he mourns losing her. My mom bought this novel when I was around sixth grade from the discount section at Barnes and Noble. The story has some very strong and mature themes, definitely not appropriate for an elementary or middle schooler, but it’s an amazing novel. I read it in two days. It does such a good job giving you all the characters you should be suspecting while making sure you don’t see the ending coming. The story is well thought through and all the characters are so well rounded and fleshed out. It presents how corrupt humans can be and how strong others can be.
My last suggestion is Blood on my Hands by Todd Strasser. Callie is framed for murdering another girl from school and is on the run as she tries to prove her innocence. She struggles to find the truth for herself while everybody is against her. If you want an easy to read murder mystery I highly suggest this one. I remember this being my favorite of his thriller trilogy. The book is easy to read but is still able to supply surprises and is entertaining. I borrowed this book from the library many times when I was in high school.