10 Twisty Thriller Books About Female Friendship

Margot had always been quiet and shy. She's not sure why Lucy Sharpe—magnetic, addictive, bold Lucy Sharpe—set her sights on her at the end of their college freshman year, and asked her to be the fourth roommate in their off-campus house. But she says yes anyway, and spends the first half of her sophomore year becoming best friends with Lucy.

But then, one of the fraternity boys from a neighboring house is murdered. And Lucy Sharpe is nowhere to be found. An “exceptionally smart” psychological thriller about the nature of friendship and belonging, this is a novel you don't want to miss out on (The Washington Post).

When she was going through the hardest time of her life, Landry Wells spilled her soul to a group of blogger friends, telling them things that even her husband and children don't know. Now, one of her online friends is dead, and she regrets having been so vulnerable. 

Landry decides to travel 1000 miles to attend the funeral and finally meet in person the women she grew so close to online. They know her better than anyone in the world—but one of them might be a murderer.

After her father leaves for a meditation retreat and never returns, Olivia decides to trace his path. She arrives at the Levitation Center and enrolls in their program for troubled teens, and quickly becomes enmeshed with another trio of girls: Serena, their leader; and Janet and Laurel, her aloof followers. 

Together the girls decide this is the summer they will finally achieve enlightenment and levitate their bodies. But as they become closer, it also becomes clear one of they may not survive the summer.

If you loved Saltburn (or its arguable predecessor, The Talented Mr. Ripley), then you should read this feminine twist. Small town girl Abby Graven has given up on her artistic ambitions, and now spends her days as a supermarket cashier, where, to add insult to injury, she regularly sees her former best friend Elise gracing the covers of magazines.

When Elise shows up to their high school reunion, Abby is surprised to learn she still thinks of her as a friend and a great artist. And when Elise tells her to let her know if she's ever in LA, Abby jumps at the chance. But once she's there, the dynamic shifts between the two women—and Abby can only see one way to secure the future she wants.

The last time Katy saw Jude was on a school trip 25 years ago. To her shame, Katy watched Jude get attacked by a stranger. And instead of helping, she ran away.

Now, Jude is back. Her sudden reappearance in Katy's life has dovetailed with multiple concerning incidents: someone broke into her downstairs apartment; her house was vandalized, her mother was mugged. 

And Jude knows a lot more than she should.

This historical thriller is set in 1933 London. Best friends Esmé and Minnie have just graduated from nursing school, and decide to offer their services in exchange for passage on a cruise ship to Australia. But while they're having the adventure of their life, Esmé's niece Minnie is digging into her past, unearthing a mystery that will upend all their lives.

Beth, Megan and Joanne are the closest of friends in college, and would do anything for one another—including keep the secrets of one horrific night.

Now in their forties, each of the women has processed the past in their own way. But when Megan betrays their trust and tells her fiancée the truth about that night, they're all in danger.

Eleanor Walsh seems to have it all. She's the CEO of an elite women-only coworking space in NYC, has close friends, and a wonderful husband. And then on the night of a press conference, she vanishes—and the police suspect foul play.

Now Hana, the head of PR for Eleanor's company and her best friend, is in a tailspin. She and her sister Katie, a journalist, launch their own investigation into what happened to Eleanor. Soon, they realize there's a lot they didn't know about Eleanor.

Fans of Big Little Lies, this one is for you. 

Alison, Julie, Sarah and Heather are four friends and mothers living the ideal suburban life. Until Alison notices a bruise on Heather's wrist. Eventually Heather admits her husband is abusing her, but she refuses to leave him. Her friends dread the phone call that will tell them Heather's been killed. But when the call finally happens, she's not the one who's dead. And now the women must decide how far they're willing to go to protect her.

Latvinia has it all, while Louise has nothing. After meeting by chance, the two become inseparable, spending their time together in New York drinking on the High Line and day dreaming about trips to Paris and Rome. But if Louise has her way, Latvinia won't be going anywhere.

"Social Creature is a wicked original with echoes of the greats (Patricia Highsmith, Gillian Flynn)." —Janet Maslin, The New York Times