Here are 100 books that The Kill Club fans have personally recommended if you like The Kill Club. Book DNA is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Death Warrant

Madison Lawson Author Of The Registration

From my list on thriller books for adults who miss YA dystopian.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been fascinated with the macabre since childhood and have always been drawn to the darker sides of humanity. In nearly every story, the villain is my favorite character, and I’m most intrigued with their motives. From The Magic Tree House to Artemis Fowl to The Hunger Games to The Purge, I’ve consumed as much sci-fi, dystopian, thriller fiction as possible my entire life. I’ve written several thriller novels and dystopian books and have worked with Bradley Fuller, the producer of The Purge and A Quiet Place, on the possible movie adaptation of my debut novel. If you also like dystopian thrillers, feel free to check out my recommendations!

Madison's book list on thriller books for adults who miss YA dystopian

Madison Lawson Why Madison loves this book

I loved this book because it was equally gripping and thrilling as it was funny. It’s impressive when a book so seamlessly weaves real-world experiences and pop culture references with the sci-fi aspects of a dystopian world.

I loved the main character, Frankie, and how she was relatable yet completely unique. Her humor and love of movies,  I also loved how it was thought-provoking without feeling like a soap-box political book.

This book was like a quirky Black Mirror-esque cautionary tale of where our society could easily be heading, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. I liked how Bryan Johnston took reality TV and made it extreme.

By Bryan Johnston ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Death Warrant as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Death Makes Great TV.

Frankie Percival is cashing in her chips. To save her brother from financial ruin, Frankie—a single stage performer and mentalist who never made it big—agrees to be assassinated on the most popular television show on the planet: Death Warrant. Once she signs her life away, her memory is wiped clean of the agreement, leaving her with no idea she will soon be killed spectacularly for global entertainment.

After years of working in low-rent theaters, Frankie prepares for the biggest performance of her life as her Death Warrant assassin closes in on her. Every person she encounters…


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Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.

The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…

Book cover of The Patient

Madison Lawson Author Of The Registration

From my list on thriller books for adults who miss YA dystopian.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been fascinated with the macabre since childhood and have always been drawn to the darker sides of humanity. In nearly every story, the villain is my favorite character, and I’m most intrigued with their motives. From The Magic Tree House to Artemis Fowl to The Hunger Games to The Purge, I’ve consumed as much sci-fi, dystopian, thriller fiction as possible my entire life. I’ve written several thriller novels and dystopian books and have worked with Bradley Fuller, the producer of The Purge and A Quiet Place, on the possible movie adaptation of my debut novel. If you also like dystopian thrillers, feel free to check out my recommendations!

Madison's book list on thriller books for adults who miss YA dystopian

Madison Lawson Why Madison loves this book

The Patient is a very quick read and easy to get sucked into, questioning everything you might know or think. I love how it was told through a series of online posts during which the narrator, a young psychiatrist, slowly reveals his story, never quite knowing if what he experienced was real or if he was going crazy.

I love how the sci-fi aspect took it out of our real world just enough to feel fantastical but not too much to be unrealistic or like a classic high-fantasy novel. The pace was fantastic, the twists and reveals were perfectly placed, and it was just the right amount of horror. I appreciate any book that is unexpected and leaves me thinking about it for days after I’m finished.

By Jasper DeWitt ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Patient as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In a series of online posts, Parker H., a young psychiatrist, chronicles the harrowing account of his time working at a dreary mental hospital in New England. Through this internet message board, Parker hopes to communicate with the world his effort to cure one bewildering patient.

We learn, as Parker did on his first day at the hospital, of the facility's most difficult, profoundly dangerous case - a forty-year-old man who was originally admitted to the hospital at age six. This patient has no known diagnosis. His symptoms seem to evolve over time. Every person who has attempted to treat…


Book cover of Pines

John Klawitter Author Of Death Drop

From my list on living normal lives murder deception and love.

Why am I passionate about this?

Looking back, I was surprised at the things I'd done and the distance I'd traveled from my lower-middle-class upbringing in an industrial town. Destined for a life on the hot beds at the steel mill, I worked my way through college, found a job as a cub copywriter, learned documentary filmmaking, won an EMMY Award, moved to Hollywood, and started my 'sho biz' career. 

John's book list on living normal lives murder deception and love

John Klawitter Why John loves this book

It's not that thrillers need updating, but if you think they did, the novel PINES will fulfill your darkest wishes. This modern-day thriller took off like an irresistibly good bad dream and kept me shivering with page-turning anticipation all the way to the end.

I liked the clean storytelling–action-packed yet full of questions about what’s coming next.

By Blake Crouch ,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Pines as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The one-million copy bestseller that inspired the Fox TV show.

Secret service agent Ethan Burke arrives in Wayward Pines, Idaho, with a clear mission: locate and recover two federal agents who went missing in the bucolic town one month earlier. But within minutes of his arrival, Ethan is involved in a violent accident. He comes to in a hospital, with no ID, no cell phone, and no briefcase. The medical staff seems friendly enough, but something feels...off. As the days pass, Ethan's investigation into the disappearance of his colleagues turns up more questions than answers. Why can't he get any…


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Book cover of Trusting Her Duke

Trusting Her Duke by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke with rigid opinions, a Lady whose beliefs conflict with his, a long disputed parcel of land, a conniving neighbour, a desperate collaboration, a failure of trust, a love found despite it all.

Alexander Cavendish, Duke of Ravensworth, returned from war to find that his father and brother had…

Book cover of The Glass Box

Madison Lawson Author Of The Registration

From my list on thriller books for adults who miss YA dystopian.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been fascinated with the macabre since childhood and have always been drawn to the darker sides of humanity. In nearly every story, the villain is my favorite character, and I’m most intrigued with their motives. From The Magic Tree House to Artemis Fowl to The Hunger Games to The Purge, I’ve consumed as much sci-fi, dystopian, thriller fiction as possible my entire life. I’ve written several thriller novels and dystopian books and have worked with Bradley Fuller, the producer of The Purge and A Quiet Place, on the possible movie adaptation of my debut novel. If you also like dystopian thrillers, feel free to check out my recommendations!

Madison's book list on thriller books for adults who miss YA dystopian

Madison Lawson Why Madison loves this book

I love this book because it’s a classic and engaging sci-fi thriller with an original twist that kept me on my toes, a remarkable main character, and a compelling supporting cast. The dystopian element kept me hooked throughout, and the masterful storytelling often made me forget I was reading.

It is not only gripping but thought-provoking, with commentary on societal issues, much like YA dystopian novels from my childhood. What’s most frightening about this book is that it's easy to see that this sort of thing could happen today. 

By J Michael Straczynski ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Glass Box as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A USA Today bestseller

"Echoes of One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest reverberate through this cinematic tale...readers looking for an adrenaline-inducing resistance plot will find this worth their time." --Publishers Weekly

From award-winning author J. Michael Straczynski, The Glass Box is a hard-hitting, fast-paced sci-fi novel about the choices we make and the ramifications we face.

Riley Diaz was born to fight back.

When she's incarcerated under the authority of a shadowy new defense act, Riley is sent to one of a growing number of American Renewal Centers (ARCs)--institutions modeled after psychiatric facilities--for mandatory reeducation.

Forced therapy, involuntary medication, solitary…


Book cover of If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood

Melissa Caribou Annen Author Of The Midwest Madman: An Agent Raines Casefile

From my list on murderous serial killers that keep you up at night.

Why am I passionate about this?

I believe my love of horror and mystery started young. My first favorite book was The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree. I started writing my first mystery novel when I was in high school. It wasn’t very good, but I still have it. I have so many stories in my head that it’s hard to keep them straight. I also co-host a True Crime podcast, Nothing Happens in A Small Town

Melissa's book list on murderous serial killers that keep you up at night

Melissa Caribou Annen Why Melissa loves this book

If You Tell reads like a fiction mystery novel. I wasn’t paying attention when I started reading this, and I thought it was fiction. When I realized this book was based on a true story it bewildered me. You hear stories about people, how horrible they can be, but this mother had to be a fictional character – she’s not. She will give you nightmares.

By Gregg Olsen ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked If You Tell as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A #1 Wall Street Journal, Amazon Charts, USA Today, and Washington Post bestseller.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Gregg Olsen's shocking and empowering true-crime story of three sisters determined to survive their mother's house of horrors.

After more than a decade, when sisters Nikki, Sami, and Tori Knotek hear the word mom, it claws like an eagle's talons, triggering memories that have been their secret since childhood. Until now.

For years, behind the closed doors of their farmhouse in Raymond, Washington, their sadistic mother, Shelly, subjected her girls to unimaginable abuse, degradation, torture, and psychic terrors. Through it all,…


Book cover of The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir

Karen Elizabeth Lee Author Of The Village That Betrayed Its Children

From my list on weave real life crime with memoir.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a published author, memoir-writing instructor, and retired clinical psychologist. I wrote an initial memoir as a chronological account of my dysfunctional marriages and recovery from them, but lately, I have become very interested in what is termed “hybrid memoirs.” Hybrid memoirs combine personal memoirs with major incidents and research into issues similar to those in the memoir or the culture and laws surrounding them. Since my new book combines my memoir with an account of a crime that affected all the citizens in the country village where I grew up, I have gravitated to memoirs featuring crime as part of the story. 

Karen's book list on weave real life crime with memoir

Karen Elizabeth Lee Why Karen loves this book

I love murder mysteries, and this is the story of a real-life murder. Marzano-Lesnevich’s memoir, as well as her journalistic story of the murder, intertwines to make a compelling book.

She unveils her own personal story as well as the personal story of the murderer and his victim. 

By Alex Marzano-Lesnevich ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Fact of a Body as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Part memoir, part true crime, wholly brilliant.' - Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train.

When law student Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich is asked to work on a death-row hearing for convicted murderer and child molester Ricky Langley, she finds herself thrust into the tangled story of his childhood. As she digs deeper and deeper into the case she realizes that, despite their vastly different circumstances, something in his story is unsettlingly, uncannily familiar.

The Fact of a Body is both an enthralling memoir and a groundbreaking, heart-stopping investigation into how the law is personal, composed of individual stories, and…


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Book cover of The Duke's Christmas Redemption

The Duke's Christmas Redemption by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke who has rejected love, a Lady who dreams of a love match, an arranged marriage, a house full of secrets, a most unneighborly neighbor, a plot to destroy reputations, an unexpected love that redeems it all.

Lady Charlotte Wyndham, given in an arranged marriage to a man she…

Book cover of From Brick & Darkness

Susie Black Author Of The Case of the Croaked Coach

From my list on ordinary teens doing extraordinary things.

Why am I passionate about this?

Before writing cozy mysteries, I was a ladies’ apparel sales exec. To be a successful, humorous, cozy mystery author, character development is the key. Fortunately for my writing gig, salespeople are also students of human nature. I've been fascinated by what makes people tick all my life and have taken all I have learned and applied it to my writing. How characters react in life and death situations makes my casts imperfect but believable, accents their individuality, and lets their personalities come alive so that readers can’t help but invest in them.

Susie's book list on ordinary teens doing extraordinary things

Susie Black Why Susie loves this book

I gave a standing ovation to this lesson in being careful about what one wishes for and facing the consequences when one’s wishes come true in a heart-pounding fight of good versus evil. This gem is one of the most imaginative and descriptively written tales I ever read.

I could almost feel the heat from the sinister, demonic Ifrit breathing fire and the slash of its tail across the protagonist’s face. If you start out reading this book doubting the existence of djinns and parallel universes, you’ll be questioning your beliefs when you get to the end.

By J. L. Sullivan ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked From Brick & Darkness as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Bax always fantasized something remarkable would happen in his life. So when a decrepit man with glowing purple eyes offers him a ring intended for his estranged father, Bax accepts.

The ring speaks to Bax in a dream, tempting him with a vision of a powerful djinn. Desperate to make his fantasies a reality, Bax unleashes a creature called Ifrit, but soon learns this djinn isn't what the ring led him to believe. Feeding off the depths of his subconscious, the sinister demon fulfills what he thinks Bax wants by manipulating, threatening, and murdering. With everyone he loves in danger…


Book cover of Even If I Fall

Rachel Bowen Author Of Thin Lines

From my list on romance with a chaotic family and friend groups.

Why am I passionate about this?

I didn’t grow up with a close family, but I yearned for one. Which is why I gravitate towards books with a cast of characters who are family, or a found family. I also prefer romantic plots or subplots. Combining romance and amazing side characters that are close automatically hooks me. That’s why I always include these dynamics in the books I write. I write my books for my own entertainment and hope others who love romance with swoony leads and a fun cast of characters will find my book and enjoy it as much as I do. 

Rachel's book list on romance with a chaotic family and friend groups

Rachel Bowen Why Rachel loves this book

This book. The love story and the scenes between the leads had me swooning.

Seriously, I loved every second of the tension between the main characters: Brooke and Calvin. Brooke’s brother is in jail for murdering his best friend, who was also Calvin’s older brother. And no one knows why he did it.

They live in a small Texas town and their families have, for obvious reasons, become enemies. Their love is forbidden, but they can’t stay away from each other, even when their families are so important to them.

At the same time, the shadow of Brooke’s brother murdering Calvin adds a complication to their budding romance. This book has love, family, and a mystery to unravel and I loved every second of it. 

By Abigail Johnson ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Even If I Fall as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

“A moving, captivating story about the bonds of family and the restorative power of love.”
—Tamara Ireland Stone, New York Times Bestselling author of Little Do We Know 

Brooke and Heath should never have become friends, let alone fallen in love.

A year ago, Brooke Covington lost everything when her beloved older brother, Jason, confessed to the murder of his best friend, Calvin. Brooke and her family became social pariahs, broken and unable to console one another. Brooke’s only solace remains the ice-skating rink where she works, but she no longer lets herself dream about a future skating professionally.

When…


Book cover of Charlotte Illes Is Not a Detective

Mary Robinette Kowal Author Of The Martian Contingency

From my list on cozy books pretending to be something else.

Why am I passionate about this?

We are in a time where everything seems fraught, and cozies remind me that there are other paths. I write science fiction and fantasy, a genre known for making things worse. But secretly, I want my books to explore what happens when people talk to one another and make the kinder choice. It’s easy to escalate. But having a book with tension and interest and plot twists, while also making the reader feel secure is much harder. Watching characters in unexpected genres have cozy moments reminds me it’s possible. And also, sometimes you just want a hug from a book.

Mary's book list on cozy books pretending to be something else

Mary Robinette Kowal Why Mary loves this book

I adore the relationships throughout this story. It’s about a child prodigy detective who, as an adult, gets pulled back into detecting. But she’s not alone—she has a Scooby gang cast, and I am here for the relationships.

The way they understand each other is just lovely. It shows up in how they talk to and look out for each other. You see it in the way they understand the unspoken moments and support one another. I loved every moment of it.

By Katie Siegel ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Charlotte Illes Is Not a Detective as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“An immensely fun, voice-y read with a twisty mystery.” –Mia P. Manansala, author of the Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Award-winning Arsenic and Adobo

“Charlotte is a delight.” —The New York Times

For anyone seeking to satisfy their Harriet the Spy, Encyclopedia Brown, or Nancy Drew nostalgia, this charming, entertaining debut based on the popular @katiefliesaway TikTok series stars a twentysomething former kid detective who’s coaxed out of retirement for one last case.

The downside of being a famous child detective is that sooner or later, you have to grow up . . .

As a kid, Charlotte Illes’ uncanny sleuthing…


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Book cover of Old Man Country

Old Man Country by Thomas R. Cole,

This book follows the journey of a writer in search of wisdom as he narrates encounters with 12 distinguished American men over 80, including Paul Volcker, the former head of the Federal Reserve, and Denton Cooley, the world’s most famous heart surgeon.

In these and other intimate conversations, the book…

Book cover of Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland

Sune Engel Rasmussen Author Of Twenty Years: Hope, War, and the Betrayal of an Afghan Generation

From my list on nonfiction stories that can rival any novel.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have always believed in the power of journalism to tell stories of people: the powerful as well as the ordinary and disenfranchised. In the hands of the right writer, such stories can have as much dramatic sweep and be as engrossing as any work of fiction. I have read literary nonfiction since before I became a journalist, and as a foreign correspondent, while breaking news is a key part of my job, longform narrative writing is where I really find gratification, as a writer and a reader. It’s a vast genre, so I focused this list mostly on stellar examples of foreign reporting. I hope you enjoy it. 

Sune's book list on nonfiction stories that can rival any novel

Sune Engel Rasmussen Why Sune loves this book

This is a master class in investigative journalism and in nonfiction storytelling. Radden Keefe is one of my journalistic role models, and this book about the troubles in Northern Ireland is gripping from page one as it investigates the 1972 murder and abduction of Jean McConville in a way that probably only a foreigner could do, given the sensitivity of the topic. It is a vital historical document, a gripping thriller, and an empathetic social observation all in one.  

By Patrick Radden Keefe ,

Why should I read it?

17 authors picked Say Nothing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER •From the author of Empire of Pain—a stunning, intricate narrative about a notorious killing in Northern Ireland and its devastating repercussions

"Masked intruders dragged Jean McConville, a 38-year-old widow and mother of 10, from her Belfast home in 1972. In this meticulously reported book—as finely paced as a novel—Keefe uses McConville's murder as a prism to tell the history of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Interviewing people on both sides of the conflict, he transforms the tragic damage and waste of the era into a searing, utterly gripping saga." —New York Times Book Review

Jean McConville's…


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