“The door opens and he stands in the doorway, my handsome, psychopathic husband.”
If you loved Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris, you’re probably the type of reader who laps up psychological thrillers with intense suspense, jaw-dropping twists, and explorations into the darker sides of domestic life. This serial bestselling novel had us all hooked with its depiction of a seemingly perfect marriage that hides a terrifying secret, and if you’re craving more books like Behind Closed Doors, you’re in the right place. At What We Reading, we’ve curated the most gripping thrillers and suspense novels that feature twisted relationships, shocking secrets, and an atmosphere of tension that will keep you turning the pages long into the night. Whether you’re on the lookout for books with shocking plot twists, gripping domestic thrillers, or psychological suspense novels that will leave you breathless, these recommendations are guaranteed to hit the mark. Read on for the best books for fans of Behind Closed Doors!
Behind Closed Doors Summary
Everyone knows a couple like Jack and Grace Angel. He has all the looks and wealth anyone could wish for, she has grace and elegance in abundance. He’s the hardworking attorney who is yet to lose a case; she’s the doting homemaker, a skilled gardener and a cook who also cares for her disabled sister. Fresh newlyweds, it looks like Jack and Grace are the epitome of marital bliss on the surface. You might not want to, but you can’t help but be charmed by them. Still, you would like to get to know Grace a little bit better. But you know that won’t be possible because Jack and Grace are inseparable.
Some people may call this true love. Others may just begin to wonder why Grace never answers the phone. Or why there are high-security metal shutters on all the downstairs windows. How she is able to cook such delicious meals, but is always bone-thin. Or, quite why she is never able to meet, despite not being at work. Some people might just start to wonder what is really going on with Jack and Grace once the dinner parties come to a close and the front door to their life together is closed.
The Couple Next Door – Shari Lapena
First up on our list of books like Behind Closed Doors is one of Shari Lapena’s bestselling thrillers, The Couple Next Door. In it, readers are introduced to Anne and Marco Conti, a couple whose perfect night turns into a living nightmare for any parent when they arrive home to find their six-month-old daughter, Cora, has been abducted while they attended a dinner party next door. As the investigation into Cora’s disappearance gets underway, the couple’s life is upended as long-buried secrets are brought to light and their apparently innocent behaviour starts to get questioned.
The truth behind that fateful night is slowly peeled away, but not before the suspense escalates and trust between the couple is completely eroded. Like with Paris’ signature delivery, Shari Lapena keeps readers hooked as she delves into the complexities of marriage, trust, and guilt.
Check Out The Best Books Like The Couple Next Door
The Silent Wife – A.S.A. Harrison
Todd Gilbert and Jodie Brett are in a difficult spot in their relationship. They’ve been together for twenty-eight years and, without any children to worry about, there has been very little to disrupt their affluent lifestyle in Chicago. But, there has also been very little holding things together and, underneath the surface of their polished exterior, cracks in their relationship are beginning to show.
He is a committed adulterer. She lives and breathes denial. He exists in dual worlds. She likes to settle scores. When it becomes clear that their precarious world is ready to disintegrate with just a moment’s notice, Jodie knows she stands to lose everything. It’s only knowing that she will discover just how much she’s truly capable of. Similar to Behind Closed Doors, The Silent Wife is a chillingly psychological tale about a disintegrating relationship where the notion of killing your partner suddenly makes perfect sense.
The Perfect Marriage – Jeneva Rose
Sarah Morgan is a successful and powerful defence attorney in Washington, D.C. At thirty-three years old, she has just been named partner at the firm where she works, and it appears as though her life is finally in order. Sadly for her, the same cannot be said for her husband, Adam. He is a struggling writer who has had very little success in his career. Tired of his relationship with Sarah, he starts a passionate affair with a woman named Kelly Summers at his and Sarah’s secluded second home out in the woods.
Then, one morning, everything changed. Adam is arrested for Kelly’s murder. She had been stabbed to death right in the couple’s second home. Sarah soon finds herself playing defence for her own cheating husband, a man accused of murdering his mistress. But, is he guilty or innocent? For fans of Behind Closed Doors, Jeneva Rose spins a gripping story of control, manipulation, and the hidden truth behind a seemingly flawless relationship in her 2020 thriller, The Perfect Marriage.
An Anonymous Girl – Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen
Eager to earn some easy cash, Jessica Farris agrees to participate as a test subject in a psychological study about ethics and morality. But, as the study gradually pivots from the exam room to the real world, the line between what is real and what is one of Dr. Shields’ experiments begins to blur. Dr Shields appears to know exactly what Jess is thinking. And what is she hiding? Jessica’s behaviour will not only be monitored but also manipulated. Ensnared in a web of attraction, deceit, and jealousy, Jessica soon discovers that some obsessions can be deadly.
From the authors of the bestselling domestic thriller, The Wife Between Us, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen deliver another twist-filled ride that questions the limits of manipulation and the dangers of getting too close to a stranger’s mind. If you love psychological suspense books like Behind Closed Doors with dark secrets and a psychological edge, An Anonymous Girl needs to be on your TBR list!
The Perfect Wife – J.P. Delaney
Abbie wakes in a daze with no memory of who she is, or how she’s wound up in this unsettling condition. The man to her side claims to be her husband. The founder of one of Silicon Valley’s biggest start-ups, he is a titan of the tech world. He informs Abbie that she is a gifted artist, an avid surfer, a loving mother to their young son, and the perfect wife. He says she had a terrible accident five years ago and that, thanks to a technological breakthrough, she has been brought back from the abyss. A living miracle of science.
Yet, as Abbie slowly pieces together memories of her marriage, she begins to question her husband’s motivations, as well as his version of events. Is she really able to trust him when he claims he wants them to be together forever? And what really happened to Abbie those years ago? Similar to Behind Closed Doors, J.P. Delaney peels away the layers of a seemingly perfect marriage in his propulsive thriller, The Perfect Wife.
The Breakdown – B.A. Paris
If you loved Behind Closed Doors, what better to read next than another one of B.A. Paris’ best books, The Breakdown? Cass has been having a hard time since the night she saw the car in the woods, on the winding rural road, in the middle of a downpour, with the woman sitting inside – the woman who was killed. She’s been trying to wipe the crime from her mind; after all, what could she have done? It’s a dangerous road to be on, especially in the middle of a storm. Her husband would be furious if he knew she had broken her promise not to take that shortcut home.
Only, ever since then, Cass has been forgetting every little thing: where she’s left the car, if she took her pills, the alarm code, why she ordered a pram even though she doesn’t have a baby. The only thing she can’t seem to forget is that woman, the woman she could have saved, and the terrible nagging guilt that comes with that.
Rock Paper Scissors – Alice Feeney
Another one of the best domestic thriller books like Behind Closed Doors comes from Alice Feeney in Rock Paper Scissors, a chilling psychological novel packed with secrets, lies, and a marriage on the brink of collapse. Amelia and Adam head to an isolated, snow-covered Scottish chapel for a weekend getaway – a last-ditch effort to save their crumbling marriage. Adam, a screenwriter with a rare condition that prevents him from remembering faces, and Amelia, who won the trip in a mysterious raffle, both hide unspoken truths and hidden agendas.
As the couple settles into the eerie setting, unnerving events soon begin to unfold. Each chapter peels back a new layer to their relationship, revealing that this trip isn’t a coincidence – it’s been finely orchestrated. Someone knows everything about them both, and their pasts are about to catch up with them.
Check Out The Best Books Like Rock Paper Scissors
The Woman In The Window – A.J. Finn
Anna Fox lives on her own, living in her New York City home, unable to venture outdoors. She spends her days drinking too much wine, watching old movies, recounting happier times, and spying on her neighbours. Then the Russells move into the house across the street: a father, a mother, and their teenage son. The perfect family.
But, when Anna is gazing out of her window one evening, she spies something that she really shouldn’t have. Her world begins to crumble, and its shocking secrets are brought to light for all the world to see. What is real? What is imagined? Who is in danger, and who is in control? In A.J. Finn’s utterly addictive thriller, no one – and nothing – is what it seems, making it one of the best books to read after Behind Closed Doors if you’re craving another book that peels away the polished exteriors we show the world.
Check Out The Best Books Like The Woman In The Window
Before I Go To Sleep – S.J. Watson
S.J. Watson’s Before I Go to Sleep is another gripping psychological thriller similar to Behind Closed Doors that explores identity, memory, and trust. Christine wakes up every morning with no memory of who she is. Her amnesia, the result of a traumatic accident, resets her mind every time she falls asleep. Each day, she is dependent on her husband, Ben, to fill in the blanks of her life.
But when Christine secretly begins keeping a journal and visiting a neuropsychologist, she begins to discover disturbing inconsistencies in what she has been told. As memories resurface and gaps start to close, she begins questioning everything – and everyone – around her. Is Ben telling the truth? And, if not, what is he hiding? Twisty and emotionally intense, Before I Go to Sleep is perfect for fans of Behind Closed Doors and thrillers with unreliable narrators, dark secrets, and shocking reveals. It’s a haunting exploration of how fragile our psyche and trust can be, especially when you can’t even trust yourself.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
