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Quick answer: If you loved John Marrs, read Dave Eggers's The Circle, then Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, then Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, and Alex Michaelides's The Silent Patient and Cory Doctorow's Little Brother. All are high-concept near-future thrillers.
John Marrs writes twisty near-future thrillers such as The One. These picks share the big ideas and fast pace.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Circle | Dave Eggers | Adult | readers who like tech dystopia |
| Gone Girl | Gillian Flynn | Adult | readers who like unreliable narrators |
| Never Let Me Go | Kazuo Ishiguro | Adult | readers who want slow-burn dread |
| The Silent Patient | Alex Michaelides | Adult | readers who like psychological thrillers |
| Little Brother | Cory Doctorow | Teen/Adult | readers who like hacking |
| Station Eleven | Emily St. John Mandel | Adult | readers who like quiet apocalypses |
| Dark Matter | Blake Crouch | Adult | readers who like twists |
| Recursion | Blake Crouch | Adult | readers who like ideas |
| Upgrade | Blake Crouch | Adult | genetic thriller |
| The Girl Before | J.P. Delaney | Adult | creepy houses |
| The Power | Naomi Alderman | Adult | readers who like feminist dystopia |
| Followers | Megan Angelo | Adult | readers who like tech satire |
| Oryx and Crake | Margaret Atwood | Adult | readers who like speculative satire |
| Sometimes I Lie | Alice Feeney | Adult | more Alice Feeney |
| Behind Closed Doors | B.A. Paris | Adult | readers who like psychological dread |
1. The Circle by Dave Eggers
Mae joins a powerful tech company and is drawn into its culture of total transparency. Chilling and satirical.
Best for: readers who like tech dystopia.
2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Amy disappears on her wedding anniversary, and her husband becomes the main suspect. A twisty, cynical marriage thriller.
Best for: readers who like unreliable narrators.
3. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Kathy H. recalls her years at Hailsham, a school with a terrible secret about its students' purpose. Quiet and haunting.
Best for: readers who want slow-burn dread.
4. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Theo investigates why a woman has stopped speaking after murdering her husband. A big twist ending.
Best for: readers who like psychological thrillers.
5. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Marcus, a teen hacker, fights back after the Department of Homeland Security abuses its power. Fast and political.
Best for: readers who like hacking.
6. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
A traveling Shakespeare troupe wanders a world changed by a flu pandemic. Quiet, hopeful and beautifully written.
Best for: readers who like quiet apocalypses.
7. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Jason Dessen is kidnapped and wakes in a life that is not his own. A fast thriller with a big idea.
Best for: readers who like twists.
8. Recursion by Blake Crouch
A detective and a scientist face a memory plague that rewrites people's lives. Smart and gripping.
Best for: readers who like ideas.
9. Upgrade by Blake Crouch
A government agent is genetically altered and begins to see the world in a new way. Tense and inventive, with the pace Crouch is known for.
Best for: genetic thriller.
10. The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney
A woman moves into a minimalist house with strict rules and learns of the previous tenant. Cold and clever.
Best for: creepy houses.
11. The Power by Naomi Alderman
Girls develop the power to give electric shocks, and the balance of power shifts. Violent and thought-provoking.
Best for: readers who like feminist dystopia.
12. Followers by Megan Angelo
Two women chase fame in 2015, while a future story shows what fame becomes. A sharp social media satire.
Best for: readers who like tech satire.
13. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Snowman is the last human in a world remade by genetic engineering. Dark and clever.
Best for: readers who like speculative satire.
14. Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney
Amber wakes in a coma and cannot move, though she can hear and think. A debut that sets up a hard-to-solve puzzle.
Best for: more Alice Feeney.
15. Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
A seemingly perfect marriage hides a horrifying secret. Dark and quick.
Best for: readers who like psychological dread.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with John Marrs: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to John Marrs. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For technology and suspense, read The Circle. For twists, try Gone Girl. For dystopia, pick Never Let Me Go.
Related: Printable List Of John Grisham Books In Chronological Order · John Sandford Books In Order Printable List
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is John Marrs?
A British novelist and former journalist.
What is his best-known book?
The One.
Is it a series?
His books are mostly standalone.
Which book here is best for readers who like psychological dread?
Try Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris, which suits readers looking for readers who like psychological dread.
Which book here is best for more Alice Feeney?
Try Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney, which suits readers looking for more Alice Feeney.
Which book here is best for readers who like speculative satire?
Try Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, which suits readers looking for readers who like speculative satire.