“I have never understood how people can blithely disregard the damage they do by following their hearts.”
If you were hooked by The Girl on the Train or Into the Water, you’ve likely found yourself looking for more of Paula Hawkins’ books. Renowned for her gripping psychological thrillers, Hawkins has become a household name for readers who crave twisty plots, dark secrets, and complex characters. But, with a handful of bestselling novels and short works to her name, you might be wondering: what’s the best order to read Paula Hawkins’ books? Today at What We Reading, we’re guiding you through the best Paula Hawkins books in order, highlighting her most popular titles and providing you with insights into the stories that made her one of the most recognisable names in the thriller genre. Whether you’re looking for a complete Paula Hawkins book list, trying to work out where to begin, or curious about how her writing has evolved, our list of Paula Hawkins novels will help you discover your next favourite read.
The Girl On The Train (2015)
Where else could we begin a list of Paula Hawkins books than with 2015’s global bestseller, The Girl on the Train? Rachel catches the same commuter train every morning. She’s become so well-acquainted with it that she knows that it will wait at the same signal each time, overlooking a row of back gardens. She’s even started to feel like she knows some of the people who live in one of the houses. She calls them “Jess and Jason.”
Their life – from what she can see of it – appears to be perfect. If only Rachel could be that happy. And then, she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train trundles on, but it’s enough. Now everything has changed. Rachel now has a chance to become a part of the lives she’s only seen from afar. Now they’ll see; she’s much more than just the girl on the train…
Check Out The Best Books Like The Girl On The Train
Into The Water (2017)
A single mother turns up dead at the bottom of the river that runs through town. Earlier that summer, a vulnerable teenage girl met the same fate. They are not the first women lost to these dark waters, but their deaths disturb the river and its history, dredging up secrets long submerged. Left behind is a lonely fifteen-year-old girl. Parentless and friendless, she now finds herself in the care of her mother’s sister, a fearful stranger who has been dragged back to the place she deliberately ran from – a place she vowed she would never return.
With the same propulsive writing and acute understanding of human instincts that hooked millions of readers with her debut novel, Into the Water is an urgent, twisting, and deeply satisfying mystery-thriller novel that hinges on the deceptiveness of emotion and memory, as well as the devastating ways in which the past can reach into the present.
A Slow Fire Burning (2021)
When a young man is found gruesomely murdered in a London houseboat, it triggers questions about three women who knew him. Laura is the troubled one-night-stand, last seen in the victim’s home. Carla is his grief-stricken aunt, already mourning the loss of another recently deceased family member. And Miriam is the nosy neighbour, clearly hiding secrets from the police.
Three women with separate connections to the victim. Three women who are – for different reasons – simmering with resentment. Who are, whether they know it or not, burning to right the wrongs done to them. When it comes to revenge, even good people may be capable of doing terrible things. How far might one of them go to find peace? How long can secrets smoulder before they explode into flames?
The Blue Hour (2024)
The latest Paula Hawkins book to date, 2024’s The Blue Hour, whisks readers to Eris: an island with only one house, one inhabitant, one way out. Unreachable from the Scottish mainland for twelve hours each day. One home to Vanessa: A famous artist whose notoriously unfaithful husband vanished twenty years ago.
Now home to Grace: a solitary creature of the tides, content in her own isolation. But when a shocking discovery is made in an art gallery far away in London, a visitor comes calling. And the secrets of Eris soon threaten to emerge. As page-turning as it is unsettling, The Blue Hour recalls the sophisticated suspense of Shirley Jackson and Patricia Highsmith. It cements Hawkins as one of the most nuanced and stylish storytellers of recent times.
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).
