Top Ten Tuesday: My Fave Suspense Novels

Happy Tuesday!

For today’s Top Ten Tuesday topic, we are asked to share books from our favorite genre. This is by no means an exhaustive list of my favorite suspense novels, but there are a handful that I have re-read more than once. My go-to re-reads when i just want to bundle up with the familiar. It doesn’t matter if I know who the villain is already; it’s the plot itself, the characters, the author’s style, that draws me back time and again.

Danger in the Shadows by Dee Henderson is one of my all-time favorite suspense novels, hands-down. It was one of my very first favorites too. High-stakes tension right from the beginning keeps amping up the suspense until I literally jumped at one point (at least). Very sweet romance thread too!

I was thoroughly captivated the first time I read Justifiable Means by Terri Blackstock, and even though I know how it all plays out now (since I’ve read it no less than a bazillion times) the plot that undergirds the whole suspense thread is no less captivating. Lots of thought-provoking questions in this novel – and the kind of romance that chokes you up a bit at the tenderness and emotions involved.

All the books in this series are equally fabulous, but I felt a special affinity for Piper & Landon’s relationship from the beginning. So it’s a no-brainer that Shattered is my favorite of Dani Pettrey’s Alaskan Courage series. Not to mention that the suspense – which involves Piper’s brother Reed & a treacherous trek through Canadian backcountry – keeps you on the edge of your reading chair!

I could have easily included this whole series because all three books are strongly interconnected through a riveting continuing arc. But When the Smoke Clears is the first one – and the first Lynette Eason book I ever read – so it has a special place in my re-reading heart.

Lonestar Sanctuary by Colleen Coble is one of my favorite contemporary marriage-of-convenience stories and it’s marvelous as a suspense novel too. I fell in love with the Bluebird Ranch as well as with Rick, Allie, and Betsy. If you love swoony, suspenseful stories that also grab your heart, this one’s for you!

Ahh this book! I couldn’t put it down. The hero in Irene Hannon’s Trapped is especially swoony too (just saying) and the villain is especially creepy. My heart stayed in my throat pretty much throughout the entire story. Read this with all the lights on – but do read it if you haven’t already!

The Tutor’s Daughter by Julie Klassen may not be what someone thinks of when they think of suspense novels, but there is a fair amount of very riveting suspense in this Regency romance. It’s my very favorite Klassen novel – because of the swoon factor, yes, but also because of the uncertainty in trying to decide which brother I – and Emma (ahem) – could trust.

This novel by Patricia Bradley stood out to me in so many ways. The villain’s perspective is chilling, the suspense is heart-stopping and there are two love stories to warm my romantical heart. I loved the entire Logan’s Point series but Gone Without A Trace is one I still think about frequently.

Kaely Quinn is one of the most complex characters I’ve met in a long time – perhaps the most complex heroine I’ve ever encountered in fiction. I was stunned more than once while reading Nancy Mehl’s phenomenal Mind Games – I’m pretty sure I even gasped out loud a couple of times. Truly fabulous psychological suspense, in every way.

T. O. X. Tox, Tox, Tox. This hunky, brooding hero should be reason enough to start Ronie Kendig’s riveting Conspiracy of Silence – but in case you need more: you’ll be touching down in seven different countries before all is said and done & there’s a whole lot of edge-of-your-seat action and suspense, with a bit of Indiana Jones tossed in just to keep things interesting. This is a thrilling series from start to finish.

Yes, I know I’m cheating just a bit with this last one but… y’all… the books all go together too closely for me to single one out over the others. The If I Run series by Terri Blackstock is impossible to put down once you’ve started because you can hardly breathe for wondering what will happen to Casey. The first book grabs you, the 2nd book keeps you on the edge of your seat, and the third one is just simply stunning. Amazing series.

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What about you? What are some of your favorite suspense novels?