Top 10 Reads of 2023

Welcome to an extremely late 2023 wrap up with my top ten favourite reads of the year. I’m back on the blog with a new blog style and plenty of ideas!

My top ten was so difficult to choose because I had the pleasure of reading so many amazing books. In the end I narrowed it down and I’m happy with my choices!

I have chosen these books because they have all of the elements of a fantastic thriller that I love. The twistiness, the jaw dropping moments, the tenseness.

Let’s get into the top ten…

10) The Fake Wife by Sharon Bolton

A twisted tale of revenge, hatred and love. All entangled in a messy web of lies. I found this book incredibly gripping. A brilliant psychological thriller that is half domestic drama, half police procedural.

Everyone is hiding something, and as it comes to light, I was left shocked. The twists sneak up on you and reveal themselves at unexpected times. And as for that ending, wow, real edge of your seat stuff. My heart was pounding. This had to make it in to the top 10 for sure!

9) The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor

I feel like I read this book at the perfect time of year. It had so many eerie and chilling small town vibes throughout and makes for a great spooky season read.

The way that it is written is truly amazing. I just did not know what to expect next and it kept everything so well under wraps to the point I was almost finished reading the book and I still didn’t know who ‘The Chalk Man’ could be.

Incredibly moreish, and pretty much impossible to put down.

8) The Housemaid’s Secret by Freida McFadden

I actually preferred this sequel to the first book! This book is so gripping, I just could not put it down. Thanks to the super fast pace I was able to fly through this book with ease! There were so many tense moments where I felt on the edge of my seat, I was flicking these pages as quickly as possible.

As for the twist, ABSOLUTELY GOBSMACKED. It caught me by complete surprise, really well written to pull off the twist so brilliantly.

7) Do No Harm by Jack Jordan

After seeing so many amazing reviews for this book, I just knew I had to get my hands on it ASAP – best decision ever. I wish I had read it even sooner!

‘Do No Harm’ is packed full of tense scenes that had me immersed in the story and the characters. I loved the writing style and the multiple POV chapter style. It made for a really in depth but still fast paced, exciting story.

6) The Resident by David Jackson

‘The Resident’ would make such a great Halloween read. It is seriously creepy. It will have you questioning the noises in your house.

The start of the book drew me on instantly, straight into the action. This is the sort of book that you pick up and lose yourself in, and before you know it, you’ve finished.

I found the ending to be so clever and neatly wrapped up, everything was tied together and I was in for a right shock!

5) The Caller by Chris Carter

I haven’t actually had a chance to write a review for this one yet. But as with the rest of the Robert Hunter Series ‘The Caller’ was dark, gory and so well written. I could read this over and over and never get bored!

I am trying to savour the series, as I’ve only got two books left after this. Also I am so unbelievably excited for the next release – ‘The Death Watcher’.

4) Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

‘Rock Paper Scissors’ is a book that I will think about for a long time. It had the perfect amount of description without being too much. The writing painted a beautiful picture in my head of the scenery of the Scottish Highlands.

A masterpiece of deception and secrets, it truly did keep my guessing until the very end! Also, it must have been good because I read it in under two days which is so rate for me (toddler running around).

3) The Stranger In Her House by John Marrs

Now I know this book only came out in February 2024. But I was unbelievably lucky to be sent an early copy from John Marrs himself so I got to read it last year (yes, I screamed).

This is so twisty, I was caught off guard so many times, to the point where I was audibly gasping! No one does twists quite like John Marrs.

As with all of the books that I’ve read by John I was captured within the first few pages. Completely engrossing and moreish, just one more chapter quickly turns into many, many more.

2) Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

The decision between choosing a number one book was so difficult. Both ‘Dark Matter’ and number one came so close!

I absolutely could not put this book down. It had me staying up way too late. ‘Dark Matter’ is the sort of book that you go about your day still thinking about. It is truly impressive.

Following Jason trying to figure out what the hell was going on was so fascinating, I felt like I was right there with him at times! I was really rooting for him throughout the book.

1) The Drift by C.J. Tudor

Wow this book is amazing, one of the best books I’ve ever read! The suspense in this one is wild and the twists are non stop and caught me by surprise. I also loved how gruesome this book was, I like a book with a good bit of gore.

I found it really engaging, especially with the multiple stories happening at once and how they all came together towards the end. I just kept uncovering more links as I read on, The Drift is so well written I found myself lost in the story and I couldn’t stop reading!

This is a book I would recommend to any dark thriller lover, if you want to read something creepy & thrilling then this is the one for you!

That wraps up my 2023 top ten! I hope you’ve had fun taking a dive into the books that are my favourites. Do let me know if you decide to check any of these out, I’d love to know your thoughts! Until next time, Charlotte @crimethrillerbooks x