Hey You! Read This! (The Abduction Thriller Edition)

Confession time: I am a bossy book reader.  I read books and  then force people around me to read them make subtle and kind recommendations to others.

I cannot help it, I want to share the book love. I want to chat about what I’ve read.

My “Hey, You!  Read This!” feature will hone in books I have read and would recommend in different genres and subgenres.

This week, I have decided to kick off my newest feature with one of my favourite sub genres in the thriller category: abduction thrillers. Call me crazy, but I am a sucker for an abduction thriller.  Anything that involves a kidnapping, a psycho holding several people in their basement or people rising like a phoenix from the ashes to wreak havoc on their captors have me pretty much glued to the pages.

Interested?

Keep reading to see what made my top picks….

Hey, You!  You want something dark, twisted and a little bit creepy?

I don’t know about you, but some of my favourite abduction style thrillers are dark, twisted and pretty creepy.

Doll House by John Hunt

I sort of stumbled across this one randomly and was so glad I did.  A serial killer duo kidnaps, tortures and keeps girls as their own personal dolls.  There were a few moments in this one where I was incredibly creeped out, especially in one scene where a silhouette is seen crossing a lawn.  Yikes…

Dying for Christmas by Tammy Cohen 

This was my festive holiday read at Christmas and I promptly gave it to several co-workers to binge read.  Our abductor comes up with several “original” Christmas gifts to give his captive in this one and they are pretty creeptastic.

The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison

This one will make every single abduction thriller list I ever make and I will highly recommend it, even though I didn’t care for the less than stellar ending.  The rest of the book totally makes up for the lacklustre ending.  Fast paced and completely creepy, I couldn’t turn away from the madness in this book.

Perfect Days by Raphael Montes 

An abduction thriller told in from the perspective of the kidnapper; he is out of touch with reality and clearly in need of a reality check.  This one will have you gasping in horror as his sick plans play out.

Hey, You!  You want something where the captives fight back?

After I read some of those dark, creepy style abduction stories, I like to mix it up with one where the captives fight back and handle business.  You handle your business, sister.

Find Her by Lisa Gardiner 

This one is completely addicting; I read it super slowly so I could indulge, but the lead character, well she is about as complex as they come.  Once a victim of a kidnapper, she lures violent men into her trap and murders them before they can kidnap and murder others.

Method 15/33 by Shannon Kirk 

The lead in this one is sixteen and pregnant and, even in those conditions, she is pretty much the only person I would want on my team in a hostage situation.  Kidnapped with the intention to steal her baby and sell it on the black market, she takes inventory of everything she has and uses it fight back and protect her unborn baby.  Candy wrapper?  She can weaponize it.

Hey, you!  You want something narrated differently?

Room by Emma Donoghue

This wouldn’t be a list of abduction thrillers if I didn’t mention the “OG abduction book” which is Room.   I loved this one for its original narration style.  Narrated by the five-year-old son of a woman who was kidnapped and impregnated by her kidnapper, there is a naivety to the text that makes this one extremely compelling.

Silent Child by Sarah Deziel 

This abduction story is also very different; a boy goes missing and shows up, ten years later, completely unable to speak.  His mother, desperate to find out what happened to him and who held him prisoner all those years, stops at nothing to try and place his story and help him regain his voice.  This one was narrated completely by the boy’s mother.  I found this one so interesting because there is a completely separate side of an abduction story told through this one and the person you want to hear from the most, is unable to share.

Hey, you!   You want something very fast paced?

Fast paced is pretty much my favourite feature in an abduction thriller and these two, I binge read and devoured due to their impeccable pacing.

Baby Doll by Hollie Overton

I have said it before and I’ll say it again, I loved the pacing of this one.  Short chapters, easy transitions and complex characters had me flying through the pages.  This one really reminded me of a darker version of Room (without the narrative style).  This one picks up at the end of her captivity

Here and Gone by Haylen Beck 

The pace and intensity of this book had me actually taking a physical break while I was reading beause I couldn’t comprehend what was happening anymore.  Sort of a twist on an abduction story, a women’s children are taken before her eyes and she is pinned to have murdered them by a crooked cop.

And that wraps up my top abduction thriller picks for my “Hey, You!  Read This!” feature.

Would any of these titles make your list?  Do you have any abduction thrillers to recommend to me?   Let me know!