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Quick answer: If you like Lisa Jewell, read Ruth Ware, Mary Kubica, Clare Mackintosh and Gillian Flynn. All write twisty psychological thrillers about families, secrets and people who are not what they seem.
Lisa Jewell is a British author known for domestic psychological thrillers such as Then She Was Gone, The Family Upstairs and None of This Is True, which mix family secrets with dark twists. Her fans like the character-driven tension and the shocking reveals. The books below offer similar page-turners.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Then She Was Gone | Lisa Jewell | Adult | cold cases |
| The Family Upstairs | Lisa Jewell | Adult | readers who like family mysteries |
| I Let You Go | Clare Mackintosh | Adult | hit-and-run |
| Local Woman Missing | Mary Kubica | Adult | missing-person plots |
| The Good Girl | Mary Kubica | Adult | readers who like timeline twists |
| In a Dark, Dark Wood | Ruth Ware | Adult | isolated settings |
| The Death of Mrs Westaway | Ruth Ware | Adult | readers who like inheritance plots |
| Gone Girl | Gillian Flynn | Adult | readers who like unreliable narrators |
| The Couple Next Door | Shari Lapena | Adult | more Lapena |
| Behind Closed Doors | B.A. Paris | Adult | psychological suspense |
| The Girl on the Train | Paula Hawkins | Adult | psychological thriller |
| Sometimes I Lie | Alice Feeney | Adult | unreliable narrator |
| The Guest List | Lucy Foley | Adult | readers who like closed-circle mysteries |
| The Silent Patient | Alex Michaelides | Adult | readers who like psychological thrillers |
| The Last Thing He Told Me | Laura Dave | Adult | readers who like family secrets |
1. Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
A mother whose daughter vanished ten years ago meets a man who may know the truth. Dark and moving.
Best for: cold cases.
2. The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
Libby inherits a London house and uncovers a dark story about the family who lived there. Twisty and gripping.
Best for: readers who like family mysteries.
3. I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
A mother flees a tragedy while a detective investigates. Has a famous twist.
Best for: hit-and-run.
4. Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
A woman vanishes, and years later her daughter returns. A tense story told from several perspectives.
Best for: missing-person plots.
5. The Good Girl by Mary Kubica
A teacher's daughter is abducted and the story switches between before and after. Twisty and well paced.
Best for: readers who like timeline twists.
6. In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
A writer goes to a hen party in a remote glass house, and something goes wrong. Claustrophobic and sharp.
Best for: isolated settings.
7. The Death of Mrs Westaway by Ruth Ware
Hal inherits money from a grandmother she never knew and goes to a funeral. Gothic and twisty.
Best for: readers who like inheritance plots.
8. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
A wife disappears, and her husband is accused. A twisty, cynical marriage thriller.
Best for: readers who like unreliable narrators.
9. The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
A couple leaves their baby at home while at a party next door, and the baby disappears. Lapena's debut thriller, tense and quick.
Best for: more Lapena.
10. Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
A couple seems perfect from outside, but the wife is trapped in a nightmare. Tense and disturbing.
Best for: psychological suspense.
11. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
A commuter watches a couple and becomes involved in a disappearance. Moody.
Best for: psychological thriller.
12. Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney
A woman in a coma tries to piece together what happened. Clever and creepy.
Best for: unreliable narrator.
13. The Guest List by Lucy Foley
A wedding on an island turns into a murder mystery. Told by several narrators.
Best for: readers who like closed-circle mysteries.
14. 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.
15. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
Hannah searches for the truth after her husband vanishes. Fast and emotional.
Best for: readers who like family secrets.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Lisa Jewell: 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 Lisa Jewell. 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 more Jewell begin with Then She Was Gone or The Family Upstairs. For family secrets choose Mary Kubica or Ruth Ware. For domestic suspense pick Shari Lapena or B.A. Paris. For psychological twists read Gone Girl, The Silent Patient or Sometimes I Lie. Jewell's novels are fast, so these picks suit readers who finish thrillers in a sitting. Jewell has written romance and women's fiction as well as thrillers, so readers who like her voice have a wide backlist. Her thrillers often feature multiple timelines that come together in a final reveal.
Related: Lisa Jewell Books In Order Printable List · Lisa Unger Books in Order Printable List
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Lisa Jewell?
A British author of psychological thrillers and women's fiction.
Where should I start?
With Then She Was Gone or The Family Upstairs.
Are her books standalone?
Mostly, yes, with a pair of linked novels.
Are they dark?
They deal with disturbing topics but are not very graphic.
Are there audiobooks?
Yes, for most titles.
Is there a TV adaptation?
Some are being adapted. Check current listings.
Which is the best?
Many fans pick Then She Was Gone or The Family Upstairs.
What should I read next?
Try Mary Kubica or Ruth Ware.
Which book here is best for missing-person plots?
Try Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica, which suits readers looking for missing-person plots.