5 Thriller Books Fueled by Dysfunctional Families
Heading into the holiday season seems like a good time to discuss dysfunctional families. We’ll stick to fictional dysfunctional families, but…you know.
My fascination with toxic family situations can be traced back to Flowers In The Attic by V.C. Andrews. I read this series as a kid in the 1980s and am still not over it. I wouldn’t characterize the books as thrillers but—and I admit this is a wild understatement—the Dollanganger family was not okay. Do not hide children in the attic to worm your way into an inheritance. If that’s not a rule it should be.
The phrase “toxic relationship” gets bandied about a lot these days. It can refer to a host of complicated and potentially dangerous dynamics, including a messed-up romance, a marriage gone wrong, a workplace everyone should quit, or a family that makes the mother-son bond in Psycho look healthy. For a more recent reference, see: the mother-daughter relationship(s) in Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn.
Politics. Romance. Money. Infidelity. The range of pitfalls feels never-ending. In some cases, the potential for peril can be enormous. Danger keeps bedroom doors locked and hushed secrets trapped inside the house.
Thriller writers take the concept of not-so-great families and, frankly, set it on fire. There are a few obviously great books in this subgenre. The titles give them away. Some examples: My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite, The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell, and Keep It In The Family by John Marrs.
Here are five more I read and can’t forget. Grab them if you need a holiday break from your real family.
Discover the Author
Darby Kane is a former divorce lawyer with a dual writing personality. Her debut thriller, Pretty Little Wife, was a Book of the Month pick, #1 international bestseller, and has been optioned by Amazon for a television series, starring Gabrielle Union. She’s written romantic suspense as HelenKay Dimon and currently writes stories centered on family hijinks with a mix of suspense and romance. The first, Moorewood Family Rules, has been optioned for television.
Determined at all costs to unravel Richmond’s legacy, she soon becomes a target–with a shocking note left on her bedroom wall: You will pay. But it will take a lot more than faceless threats to stop Addison. Her plan to marry Richmond then ruin him may have been derailed by his unexpected death, but she’s not done with him yet.
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