Karen Ellis on Reading the Masters of Literary Suspense

Novel Suspects Featured Image Bookshelf HandKaren Ellis, author of the psychological thriller A Map of the Dark in The Searchers series, shares her all-time favorite literary suspense novels.

As you can see from this list, I love atmospheric, literary suspense. Patricia Highsmith is a no-brainer for anyone who loves the genre; if you haven’t read her yet, run right out and get started now. But you may be wondering why I included some of the other titles on my list.

Lolita?  Seriously?  Yes.  It’s a literary masterwork, but it’s also a harrowingly suspenseful story of a predatory pedophile who ruins the lives of a mother and her daughter.  The language elevates it to great literature but it’s got the bones and heart of a thriller.

The same goes for the others: each of these novels joins powerful writing with a compelling story and leaves you looking over your shoulder to make sure that shadow you noticed isn’t an actual person who means you harm. Read these masters of suspense and you’ll see how it’s done when it’s really, really good.

 


About Karen Ellis

Karen Ellis is the author of A Map of the Dark, the first novel in The Searchers series. The highly anticipated sequel, Last Night goes on sale January 2019. Ellis lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her family. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers.