Recommendations based on "The only child"

Following up her instant New York Times bestseller, A Flicker in the Dark, Stacy Willingham delivers a totally gripping thriller about a desperate mother with a troubled past in All the Dangerous Things.One year ago, Isabelle Drake's life changed forever: her toddler son, Mason, was taken out of his crib in the middle of the night while she and her husband were asleep in the next room. With little evidence and few leads for the police to chase, the case quickly went cold. However, Isabelle cannot rest until Mason is returned to her―literally.Except for the occasional catnap or small blackout where she loses track of time, she hasn’t slept in a year.Isabelle's entire existence now revolves around finding him, but she knows she can’t go on this way forever. In hopes of jarring loose a new witness or buried clue, she agrees to be interviewed by a true-crime podcaster―but his interest in Isabelle's past makes her nervous. His incessant questioning paired with her severe insomnia has brought up uncomfortable memories from her own childhood, making Isabelle start to doubt her recollection of the night of Mason’s disappearance, as well as second-guess who she can trust... including herself. But she is determined to figure out the truth no matter where it leads.

Notting Hill, London. One May evening, seventeen-year-old Maggie Parker's mother walks out of their front door and doesn't return . . . With her little brother in tow, desperate to find her mother, Maggie is drawn into a labyrinthine world of antiques and shadowy figures, far from the grand stucco terraces. There she befriends another young person living on their wits. But can he help solve the mystery of her mother's disappearance? Twenty-one years later, in a Parisian apartment, Maggie's phone rings and her hard-won grown-up life shatters. While in London, the new owner of the Parker's old Notting Hill house is excavating a basement, unaware of what might lie beneath, and the clock starts ticking on buried secrets.

ON AN ORDINARY WORKING DAY…Leila Syed receives a call that cleaves her life in two. Her brother-in-law’s voice is filled with panic. He’s at his son’s nursery to pick up Max. But he isn’t there.YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE…Leila was supposed to drop Max off that morning. But she forgot.Racing to the carpark, she grasps the horror of what she has done. Max has been locked in her car for six hours on the hottest day of the year.IS ABOUT TO COME TRUE…But she’s too late.What follows is an explosive, high-profile trial, that will tear the family apart. But as the case progresses it becomes clear there’s more to this incident than meets the eye…A gripping, brave and tense courtroom drama, Next of Kin will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final, heart-stopping page.

Don't miss the next Will Trent thriller, This Is Why We Lied, coming this August! INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "There's deception, sabotage, violence, family secrets . . . all the stuff you could want from a fictional page-turner."-- theSkimm Recommended by Washington Post * theSkimm * GMA.com * Popsugar * Bustle * Atlanta Journal-Constitution * Augusta Chronicle * Sun-Sentinel * Mystery and Suspense Magazine * and more! He saw what you did. He knows who you are... From the New York Times bestselling author of Pieces of Her and The Silent Wife, an electrifying standalone thriller. AN ORDINARY LIFE... Leigh Collier has worked hard to build what looks like a normal life. She's an up-and-coming defense attorney at a prestigious law firm in Atlanta, would do anything for her sixteen-year-old daughter Maddy, and is managing to successfully coparent through a pandemic after an amicable separation from her husband Walter. HIDES A DEVASTATING PAST... But Leigh's ordinary life masks a childhood no one should have to endure ... a childhood tarnished by secrets, broken by betrayal, and ultimately destroyed by a brutal act of violence. BUT NOW THE PAST IS CATCHING UP... On a Sunday night at her daughter's school play, she gets a call from one of the firm's partners who wants Leigh to come on board to defend a wealthy man accused of multiple counts of rape. Though wary of the case, it becomes apparent she doesn't have much choice if she wants to keep her job. They're scheduled to go to trial in one week. When she meets the accused face-to-face, she realizes that it's no coincidence that he's specifically asked for her to represent him. She knows him. And he knows her. More to the point, he may know what happened over twenty years ago, and why Leigh has spent two decades avoiding her past. AND TIME IS RUNNING OUT. Suddenly she has a lot more to lose than this case. The only person who can help is her younger, estranged sister Callie--the last person Leigh would ever want to drag into this after all they've been through. But with the life-shattering truth in danger of being revealed, she has no choice... "A high-stakes thriller . . . Her heroines are believable, flawed and courageous." -OYINKAN BRAITHWAITE

***Don't miss SOMEONE IN THE WATER, Sarah Clarke's gripping new summer thriller, available now*** 'A fast-paced, twisty story ... A thrilling read' Catherine Cooper, bestselling author of The Chalet From the outside, it seems Grace has it all. Only she knows about the cracks in her picture-perfect life... and the huge secret behind them. After all, who can she trust? Her brother Josh is thousands of miles away, and he and Grace have never been close - he was always their parents' favourite. Her best friend Coco walked away from her years ago, their friendship irreparably fractured by the choices they've made. And her husband Marcus seems like a different man lately. Grace can't shake the feeling that he's hiding something. But when her seven-year-old daughter makes a troubling accusation, Grace must choose between protecting her child and protecting her secret... before she loses everything. A totally addictive suspense novel from the bestselling author of A Mother Never Lies, perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell and Shalini Boland. 'Every Little Secret had me in a complete vice. A brilliantly crafted suspense thriller which poses a dark dilemma - who can you trust?' L V Matthews, author of The Twins Readers are raving about Every Little Secret! 'WOW! WOW! WOW! AMAZING, PHENOMENAL, LOVED IT!' NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I devoured every page of Every Little Secret. It's gripping, thrilling and impossible to put down.' NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Shocking! Totally didn't see the twists coming, especially the explosive ending...Great and gripping thriller.' NetGalley reviewer,⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'This gripping story of love, trust and betrayal is the ultimate page-turner.' NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A fast paced read that had me in that "just one more chapter" loop until I'd finished it. I don't think I breathed for the entire last few chapters.' NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I genuinely loved this novel . . . Through all the plot twists I was engrossed, hooked onto every word.' NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Impossible to put down."--Clare Mackintosh, bestselling author of I Let You Go "[Lucy Clarke is] queen of the destination thriller."--Claire Douglas, bestselling author of The Wrong Sister The Survivors meets Disappearing Earth in this psychologically acute thriller about a seaside community grappling with its dark past as long-hidden secrets begin to inflict new wounds, from million-copy and internationally bestselling author Lucy Clarke Seven years ago, two boys went missing at sea - and only one was brought to shore. The Sandbank, a remote stretch of coast dotted with beach huts, was scarred forever. Sarah's son survived all those years ago. But on the anniversary of the accident, he disappears without trace. As new secrets begin to surface, The Sandbank hums with tension and unanswered questions. Sarah's search grows more desperate and she starts to mistrust everyone she knows - and she's right to. Someone saw everything on that fateful day seven years ago. And they'll do anything to keep the truth buried. A taut, pulse-pounding tale of a community on the brink of mayhem, Last Seen is an explosive addition to Lucy Clarke's masterful oeuvre.

For readers of Jodi Picoult, Heather Gudenkauf, and Elizabeth Flock comes a spellbinding tale of a girl gone missing—and the detective who will risk everything to find her.   Detective Sergeant Andrea Lawrence is reluctant to take this emotionally charged case, but she can’t help herself. In a small British seaside community, a fourteen-year-old girl has vanished. Sophie Monroe hasn’t been seen since she fought—loudly, miserably—with her stepmother and father more than a week ago. But her frantic parents seem to be the only people concerned about Sophie’s disappearance. Everyone else just assumes that an angry teenager is acting out by hiding for a while.   Did someone help Sophie run away, or abduct her? Either way, Detective Andee is certain something bad has happened. As Andee investigates, two men jump to the top of the list of suspects—but neither of them can be located. And the deeper Andee delves into Sophie’s life, the more she struggles to keep her own darkest fears at bay—because Andee knows all too well what happens when young girls are lost and never found.   Praise for Susan Lewis   “Spellbinding . . . The atmosphere grows more intense with the turn of each page.”—The Free Lance-Star, on No Child of Mine   “Unputdownable . . . a compelling blend of family dynamics, courtroom drama, and a love story.”—Booklist, on Don’t Let Me GoLook for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader’s Circle for author chats and more.

The best person to understand a serial killer is one of his victims. Meet Dr Olivia Winter. ‘I was hooked from the first page... mind-blowing’ Angela Marsons ‘Chilling, unnerving [and] pacey’ John Marrs ‘Guaranteed to chill the blood’ David Jackson ‘A searingly intense, utterly captivating character-driven thriller, and destined to be one of 2024’s most memorable pieces of crime fiction’ B P Walter ‘Perfectly paced – intriguing and relentless through to a pitch perfect conclusion’ Will Shindler A DARK PAST Dr Olivia Winter is a forensic psychologist whose job is to understand the minds of serial killers. There’s only one monster she can’t understand, her father. A NEW IDENTITY Notorious and brutal, he held a reign of terror until he was caught. His nine-year-old daughter was supposed to be his last victim, but she survived. A SERIAL KILLER WHO WILL STOP AT NOTHING Now, a serial killer is stalking the streets of London. As the body count rises, the police need Olivia’s help to profile him before he can strike again. But to do so, she will need to confront her own demons... The pulse-pounding brand new thriller from the bestselling author of the Matilda Darke series is available now! *** Are you ready to join Olivia Winter as she takes on the hunt for a serial killer? ‘A master of horror and suspense’ ‘This twisty tale of murder and mayhem is mind-blowing' ‘Outstanding’ ‘Definitely not for the faint-hearted' ‘PHENOMENAL' ‘So compulsive' ‘Full of twists you didn’t see coming' ‘The very definition of a deftly paced, high stakes thriller' ‘A must-read' ‘Excellent plotting' ‘I’ll be surprised if I read a better book this year' ‘My heart was in my mouth' ‘I could not put it down' ‘Real characters, fast plot and dark side'

The two-time Edgar Award-nominated author of ON A QUIET STREET and THE VACANCY IN ROOM 10, Seraphina Nova Glass, is back with TOO CLOSE TO HOME Nothing in this idyllic community is quite what it seems... Those lucky enough to live in the elite lakefront community of Cloverhill Lakes are drawn to it for its safety and top-notch school district. The moms meet for coffee at the park while their kids play, they're heavily involved in the PTA, and the summers are filled with chardonnay, brunch, sundresses, and backyard bonfires. But everything changes when Regan Hoffman's car explodes at the annual Labor Day party. The wrong person is killed, but it was meant for her. As the carefully crafted walls of her community begin to crumble, Regan tries to keep it together--something made infinitely harder when she sees her dead husband...alive. When a Cloverhill Lakes resident suddenly goes missing, dark secrets begin to surface from underneath the idyllic veneer of their beautiful community--and the truth threatens to destroy them all as Regan finds herself in a fight for her life. Other thrillers from Seraphina to keep you up all night: Nothing Ever Happens Here The Vacancy in Room 10 The Vanishing Hour On a Quiet Street Such a Good Wife Someone's Listening

The latest gripping mystery in Lesley Thomson's one of a kind Detective's Daughter series. Creepingly atmospheric and full of the unexpected, THE SHRINE is perfect for fans of LJ Ross and Kate Rhodes.