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Quick answer: If you loved Misery, read Stephen King's Misery, The Shining and Pet Sematary, then Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, then Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects and Gone Girl, and Colleen Hoover's Verity and Alex Michaelides's The Silent Patient. All are tense psychological horror and suspense.
Stephen King's 1987 novel Misery traps a writer with his self-proclaimed biggest fan. It is a tight, claustrophobic thriller. These picks offer the same fear of being at someone else's mercy.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Misery | Stephen King | Adult | obsession and fear |
| The Shining | Stephen King | Adult | readers who like ghosts |
| Pet Sematary | Stephen King | Adult | readers who want pure dread |
| Cujo | Stephen King | Adult | trapped survival |
| Rebecca | Daphne du Maurier | Adult | readers who want the classic |
| Sharp Objects | Gillian Flynn | Adult | readers who like psychological thrillers |
| Verity | Colleen Hoover | Adult | readers who like shocking suspense |
| The Silent Patient | Alex Michaelides | Adult | readers who like psychological thrillers |
| The Girl on the Train | Paula Hawkins | Adult | readers who love a classic thriller |
| Gone Girl | Gillian Flynn | Adult | readers who like unreliable narrators |
| Behind Closed Doors | B.A. Paris | Adult | readers who like psychological dread |
| Heart-Shaped Box | Joe Hill | Adult | modern ghost stories |
| Bird Box | Josh Malerman | Adult | readers who like suspense |
| The Haunting of Hill House | Shirley Jackson | Adult | parents who want a classic |
| The Woman in the Window | A.J. Finn | Adult | readers who like voyeur thrillers |
1. Misery by Stephen King
A novelist is rescued from a car crash by his number one fan, who will not let him leave. A claustrophobic thriller.
Best for: obsession and fear.
2. The Shining by Stephen King
Jack Torrance and his family are caretakers of a haunted hotel. A masterpiece of slow fear.
Best for: readers who like ghosts.
3. Pet Sematary by Stephen King
Louis Creed buries his daughter's cat in an ancient burial ground. Dark and heartbreaking.
Best for: readers who want pure dread.
4. Cujo by Stephen King
A rabid St. Bernard traps a mother and son in a car. Short, tense and heartbreaking.
Best for: trapped survival.
5. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
A young bride arrives at Manderley and lives in the shadow of the first Mrs. de Winter. A masterpiece of gothic suspense.
Best for: readers who want the classic.
6. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
Camille returns to her hometown to report on the murder of two girls and faces her family. Dark and stylish.
Best for: readers who like psychological thrillers.
7. Verity by Colleen Hoover
A struggling writer is hired to finish a famous author's series and finds a disturbing hidden manuscript. Dark and twisty.
Best for: readers who like shocking suspense.
8. 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.
9. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Rachel watches a couple from her commuter train and gets caught up in a disappearance. A bestselling thriller.
Best for: readers who love a classic thriller.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
An aging rock star buys a ghost online and is haunted by it. Fast, scary and by King's son.
Best for: modern ghost stories.
13. Bird Box by Josh Malerman
Malorie tries to lead her children down a river blindfolded because seeing is dangerous. Tense and original.
Best for: readers who like suspense.
14. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Four people stay in a house with a bad reputation. A masterpiece of ghostly dread for adults.
Best for: parents who want a classic.
15. The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
An agoraphobic woman thinks she sees a crime in a neighbor's home. Hitchcock-style suspense.
Best for: readers who like voyeur thrillers.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Misery: 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 Misery. 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 King, read The Shining or Pet Sematary. For domestic menace, try Rebecca or Sharp Objects. For psychological twists, pick Verity or The Silent Patient.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote Misery?
Stephen King, in 1987.
Is there a film?
Yes, a 1990 film with Kathy Bates, who won an Oscar for it.
Is it graphic?
It has violent scenes and suits adults.
Which book here is best for readers who like voyeur thrillers?
Try The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn, which suits readers looking for readers who like voyeur thrillers.
Which book here is best for parents who want a classic?
Try The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, which suits readers looking for parents who want a classic.