Best Dark Secret Books

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter • Book 3

by J.K. Rowling

Verity

by Colleen Hoover

Hoover constructs a literary puzzle box where struggling writer Lowen discovers disturbing autobiography pages that could destroy a family or reveal the truth.

More about this pick

Hoover constructs a literary puzzle box where struggling writer Lowen discovers disturbing autobiography pages that could destroy a family or reveal the truth.

One Last Rainy Day: The Legacy of a Prince

Ravenhood Legacy • Book 1

by Kate Stewart

Dominic carries vengeance in his heart while she seeks to uncover his secrets, their stormy love creating a legacy that connects to the original Ravenhood trilogy.

More about this pick

Dominic carries vengeance in his heart while she seeks to uncover his secrets, their stormy love creating a legacy that connects to the original Ravenhood trilogy.

Alchemised

by SenLinYu

Dark alchemy meets lost memories as a woman battles through a war-torn world while someone desperately tries to hide her past.

More about this pick

Dark alchemy meets lost memories as a woman battles through a war-torn world while someone desperately tries to hide her past.

Fool's Assassin

Fitz and the Fool • Book 1

by Robin Hobb

Behind Tom Badgerlock's respectable middle age lurks FitzChivalry Farseer's violent past as royal bastard, beast-magic user, and trained killer.

More about this pick

Behind Tom Badgerlock's respectable middle age lurks FitzChivalry Farseer's violent past as royal bastard, beast-magic user, and trained killer.

The Longmire Defense

Walt Longmire • Book 19

by Craig Johnson

After his last case forced him to confront ghosts and question the nature of justice, Sheriff Longmire encounters a crime scene unlike any he's seen in Wyoming.

More about this pick

After his last case forced him to confront ghosts and question the nature of justice, Sheriff Longmire encounters a crime scene unlike any he's seen in Wyoming.

Across the Vanishing Sky

Starlight Grove • Book 1

by Catherine Cowles

Esrahaddon

The Rise and Fall • Book 3

by Michael J. Sullivan

Before age eight, the future Esrahaddon was exiled, hunted by a goblin priestess, and sentenced to death by a god — Sullivan reveals how he survived to reshape civilization.

More about this pick

Before age eight, the future Esrahaddon was exiled, hunted by a goblin priestess, and sentenced to death by a god — Sullivan reveals how he survived to reshape civilization.

Rebecca

by Daphne du Maurier

Maxim de Winter's new bride discovers that his dead first wife, Rebecca, still rules their grand estate through memory, servants, and secrets that threaten to destroy everything.

More about this pick

Maxim de Winter's new bride discovers that his dead first wife, Rebecca, still rules their grand estate through memory, servants, and secrets that threaten to destroy everything.

The Strength of the Few

Hierarchy • Book 2

by James Islington

The highly anticipated follow-up deepens Vis's dangerous game within the Hierarchy as alternate dimensions and hidden truths threaten to upend everything.

More about this pick

The highly anticipated follow-up deepens Vis's dangerous game within the Hierarchy as alternate dimensions and hidden truths threaten to upend everything.

The River

by Wally Lamb

New father Corby's secret addiction and devastating mistake land him in prison, where he witnesses both human cruelty and unexpected kindness.

More about this pick

New father Corby's secret addiction and devastating mistake land him in prison, where he witnesses both human cruelty and unexpected kindness.

The Housemaid's Secret

The Housemaid • Book 2

by Freida McFadden

McFadden's thriller traps her protagonist between employers who might be dangerous and a past that could destroy her if discovered.

More about this pick

McFadden's thriller traps her protagonist between employers who might be dangerous and a past that could destroy her if discovered.

The Picture of Dorian Gray Novel

by Oscar Wilde

Dorian Gray trades his soul for eternal youth, watching his hidden portrait bear the physical marks of every sin he commits.

More about this pick

Dorian Gray trades his soul for eternal youth, watching his hidden portrait bear the physical marks of every sin he commits.

Red Country

First Law World • Book 6

by Joe Abercrombie

After raiders burn her home and kidnap her siblings, Shy South sets off in pursuit with only oxen and her cowardly stepfather for company.

More about this pick

After raiders burn her home and kidnap her siblings, Shy South sets off in pursuit with only oxen and her cowardly stepfather for company.

Grey Sister

Book of the Ancestor • Book 2

by Mark Lawrence

At Sweet Mercy convent, Nona Grey must choose between becoming a warrior, spy, mystic, or dedicating her life to prayer. Lawrence deepens his world while raising personal stakes.

More about this pick

At Sweet Mercy convent, Nona Grey must choose between becoming a warrior, spy, mystic, or dedicating her life to prayer. Lawrence deepens his world while raising personal stakes.

Memory in Death

In Death • Book 22

by J.D. Robb, Nora Roberts

When someone from Eve's traumatic past surfaces demanding blackmail money, then winds up dead, Dallas must confront the demons that shaped her while solving the murder.

More about this pick

When someone from Eve's traumatic past surfaces demanding blackmail money, then winds up dead, Dallas must confront the demons that shaped her while solving the murder.

The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter

The Riyria Chronicles • Book 4

by Wolfram Ströle

When a whiskey baron's daughter vanishes, he hires the most dangerous thief and his partner for bloody revenge. Their investigation uncovers conspiracies deeper than simple kidnapping.

More about this pick

When a whiskey baron's daughter vanishes, he hires the most dangerous thief and his partner for bloody revenge. Their investigation uncovers conspiracies deeper than simple kidnapping.

Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow

Nevermoor • Book 4

by Jessica Townsend

The Rembrandt Affair

Gabriel Allon • Book 10

by Daniel Silva

Gabriel Allon's quiet retirement ends when his art dealer friend needs help recovering a Rembrandt with a Nazi provenance that powerful people will kill for.

More about this pick

Gabriel Allon's quiet retirement ends when his art dealer friend needs help recovering a Rembrandt with a Nazi provenance that powerful people will kill for.

Filthy Secret

The Five Points' Mob Collection • Book 6

by Serena Akeroyd

Built on secrets that are slowly suffocating everyone, this mob family faces the consequences when buried lies about protecting the wrong woman finally surface. Akeroyd explores how past cowardice creates present chokehold.

More about this pick

Built on secrets that are slowly suffocating everyone, this mob family faces the consequences when buried lies about protecting the wrong woman finally surface. Akeroyd explores how past cowardice creates present chokehold.

The Black Prism

Lightbringer Saga • Book 1

by Brent Weeks

Emperor Gavin Guile wields magic by manipulating light and color, but Prisms always die young, and he's just discovered he has a secret son.

More about this pick

Emperor Gavin Guile wields magic by manipulating light and color, but Prisms always die young, and he's just discovered he has a secret son.

Pucked Off

Pucked • Book 5

by Helena Hunting

Mind Games

by Nora Roberts

The annual Fox family visit to grandmother's Appalachian home becomes a nightmare when 12-year-old Thea encounters an evil that has waited generations to strike.

More about this pick

The annual Fox family visit to grandmother's Appalachian home becomes a nightmare when 12-year-old Thea encounters an evil that has waited generations to strike.

Mark of the Fool 2

Mark of the Fool • Book 2

by J.M. Clarke

University life offers Alex new magical paths and friendships, but his homeland's shadows stretch far—his sister discovers she's becoming what she despises most. The Mark of the Fool's true implications unfold as past and present collide catastrophically.

More about this pick

University life offers Alex new magical paths and friendships, but his homeland's shadows stretch far—his sister discovers she's becoming what she despises most. The Mark of the Fool's true implications unfold as past and present collide catastrophically.

Killing Dreams

Sam Mason Mysteries • Book 5

by L.A. Dobbs

A grim discovery in small-town New Hampshire gives Police Chief Sam Mason the break he needs against elusive drug dealer Lucas Thorne, but the evidence threatens to destroy his closest professional relationship.

More about this pick

A grim discovery in small-town New Hampshire gives Police Chief Sam Mason the break he needs against elusive drug dealer Lucas Thorne, but the evidence threatens to destroy his closest professional relationship.

A Death in Vienna

Gabriel Allon • Book 4

by Daniel Silva

While investigating a Vienna bombing, Gabriel Allon sees a face that shouldn't exist—one connected to Nazi war crimes. Silva weaves art restoration with Holocaust justice in this gripping thriller.

More about this pick

While investigating a Vienna bombing, Gabriel Allon sees a face that shouldn't exist—one connected to Nazi war crimes. Silva weaves art restoration with Holocaust justice in this gripping thriller.

2666

2666 #1-5

by Natasha [Translator] Bolano, Roberto; Wimmer

Bolaño's final novel weaves together European professors obsessed with a missing German writer and hundreds of femicides in a fictional Mexican city, creating a haunting meditation on violence and art.

More about this pick

Bolaño's final novel weaves together European professors obsessed with a missing German writer and hundreds of femicides in a fictional Mexican city, creating a haunting meditation on violence and art.

A Song of Shadows

Charlie Parker • Book 13

by John Connolly

Parker's investigation connects present-day violence to the darkest corners of WWII history, weaving together decades of evil in a case that tests his shattered resolve.

More about this pick

Parker's investigation connects present-day violence to the darkest corners of WWII history, weaving together decades of evil in a case that tests his shattered resolve.

Confess

by Colleen Hoover

King of Thorns

Broken Empire • Book 2

by Mark Lawrence

Lawrence's antihero prince faces the weight of his crown as past sins and present enemies converge in a tale where throne-winning was only the beginning.

More about this pick

Lawrence's antihero prince faces the weight of his crown as past sins and present enemies converge in a tale where throne-winning was only the beginning.

Dragonfall

The Kingfall Histories • Book 2

by David Estes

Usurpers threaten the dragon throne as Peony flees to seek aid from the Dead King himself. Estes weaves political machinations with godblade mysteries in this sweeping continuation of royal upheaval and magical warfare.

More about this pick

Usurpers threaten the dragon throne as Peony flees to seek aid from the Dead King himself. Estes weaves political machinations with godblade mysteries in this sweeping continuation of royal upheaval and magical warfare.

The Invisible Bridge

by Julie Orringer

The Forgotten

John Puller • Book 2

by David Baldacci

Baldacci sends his military investigator to sunny Florida where his aunt's death exposes corruption beneath Paradise's perfect facade.

More about this pick

Baldacci sends his military investigator to sunny Florida where his aunt's death exposes corruption beneath Paradise's perfect facade.

The Inmate

by Freida McFadden

Taking a job at a men's maximum-security prison, nurse Brooke Sullivan must hide her intimate past connection to inmate Shane Nelson while following strict professional boundaries.

More about this pick

Taking a job at a men's maximum-security prison, nurse Brooke Sullivan must hide her intimate past connection to inmate Shane Nelson while following strict professional boundaries.

Any Other Name

Walt Longmire • Book 10

by Craig Johnson

Johnson sends his Wyoming sheriff into dangerous territory when a colleague's mysterious death reveals corruption that reaches far beyond their rural jurisdiction.

More about this pick

Johnson sends his Wyoming sheriff into dangerous territory when a colleague's mysterious death reveals corruption that reaches far beyond their rural jurisdiction.

The English Girl

Gabriel Allon • Book 13

by Daniel Silva

Prime Minister Lancaster's hidden mistress gets kidnapped by people who know about their affair, forcing him to choose between career and her life.

More about this pick

Prime Minister Lancaster's hidden mistress gets kidnapped by people who know about their affair, forcing him to choose between career and her life.

The Scar

New Crobuzon • Book 2

by China Miéville

Escaping New Crobuzon aboard a prison ship, linguist Bellis Coldwine discovers a floating pirate city where impossible experiments remake both bodies and reality. Miéville crafts weird fiction that defies every fantasy convention.

More about this pick

Escaping New Crobuzon aboard a prison ship, linguist Bellis Coldwine discovers a floating pirate city where impossible experiments remake both bodies and reality. Miéville crafts weird fiction that defies every fantasy convention.

Interview with the Vampire

The Vampire Chronicles • Book 1

by Anne Rice

Sycamore Row

Jake Brigance • Book 2

by John Grisham

Grisham brings back Jake Brigance to defend a handwritten will leaving millions to a black maid, igniting racial tensions in a case that threatens to destroy his career and family.

More about this pick

Grisham brings back Jake Brigance to defend a handwritten will leaving millions to a black maid, igniting racial tensions in a case that threatens to destroy his career and family.

An Engineered Injustice

Philadelphia Legal • Book 2

by William L. Myers Jr.

Defense attorney Vaughn Coburn faces his most personal case when his cousin becomes the prime suspect in a catastrophic train wreck. Myers weaves family loyalty with conspiracy as Vaughn discovers the crash may have been deliberately engineered.

More about this pick

Defense attorney Vaughn Coburn faces his most personal case when his cousin becomes the prime suspect in a catastrophic train wreck. Myers weaves family loyalty with conspiracy as Vaughn discovers the crash may have been deliberately engineered.

Pretty Girls

by Karin Slaughter

Claire's sister disappeared twenty years ago without explanation, but when another girl vanishes with eerie similarities, she realizes Julia's case was never really cold.

More about this pick

Claire's sister disappeared twenty years ago without explanation, but when another girl vanishes with eerie similarities, she realizes Julia's case was never really cold.

10th Anniversary

Women's Murder Club • Book 10

by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro

Patterson combines a missing infant investigation with courtroom drama as the Women's Murder Club tackles their most personal case yet.

More about this pick

Patterson combines a missing infant investigation with courtroom drama as the Women's Murder Club tackles their most personal case yet.

The Goldfinch

by Donna Tartt

After a museum bombing kills his mother, thirteen-year-old Theo impulsively steals a priceless Dutch painting that becomes both his obsession and his curse.

More about this pick

After a museum bombing kills his mother, thirteen-year-old Theo impulsively steals a priceless Dutch painting that becomes both his obsession and his curse.

All Your Perfects

Hopeless • Book 3

by Colleen Hoover

Happy Land

by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Nikki Berry's estranged grandmother calls her home, revealing astonishing family ties to a lost American Kingdom. Secrets buried in their bloodline connect them to a forgotten chapter of history.

More about this pick

Nikki Berry's estranged grandmother calls her home, revealing astonishing family ties to a lost American Kingdom. Secrets buried in their bloodline connect them to a forgotten chapter of history.

The Pact

by Jodi Picoult

Best friends since childhood, Chris and Emily are found in what appears to be a suicide pact, but when only Chris survives, he's charged with murder. Picoult dissects how well we really know the people closest to us through two families torn apart by tragedy.

More about this pick

Best friends since childhood, Chris and Emily are found in what appears to be a suicide pact, but when only Chris survives, he's charged with murder. Picoult dissects how well we really know the people closest to us through two families torn apart by tragedy.

Untamed

Vampire Awakenings • Book 3

by Brenda K. Davies

The Sins of the Father

The Clifton Chronicles • Book 2

by Jeffrey Archer

Harry Clifton flees to the Merchant Navy as Britain enters WWII, hoping to escape buried family secrets and his doomed love for Emma Barrington.

More about this pick

Harry Clifton flees to the Merchant Navy as Britain enters WWII, hoping to escape buried family secrets and his doomed love for Emma Barrington.

Imajica Il

by Clive Barker

Five parallel worlds teeter on the brink of either unity or annihilation, and a sensualist art forger holds the key to their fate. Barker creates a cosmic fantasy of staggering scope and dark sensuality.

More about this pick

Five parallel worlds teeter on the brink of either unity or annihilation, and a sensualist art forger holds the key to their fate. Barker creates a cosmic fantasy of staggering scope and dark sensuality.

Worthy

by Catherine Ryan Hyde

One terrible night derails a budding romance between Virginia and widower Aaron, but nearly two decades later they get an unexpected second chance. Catherine Ryan Hyde explores how guilt and forgiveness reshape love over time.

More about this pick

One terrible night derails a budding romance between Virginia and widower Aaron, but nearly two decades later they get an unexpected second chance. Catherine Ryan Hyde explores how guilt and forgiveness reshape love over time.