Sarah Pekkanen is an American novelist known for emotionally sharp stories about relationships, secrets, and the complicated choices people make. She also co-authored the bestselling thriller The Wife Between Us, a novel celebrated for its clever twists and addictive suspense.
If you enjoy Sarah Pekkanen’s mix of domestic tension, layered characters, and psychological intrigue, these authors are well worth adding to your reading list:
Greer Hendricks is a natural starting point, especially because of her close creative connection to Pekkanen. She co-writes psychological thrillers built around shifting perspectives, troubled relationships, and the kind of reveals that make you rethink everything you’ve already read.
Fans of Sarah Pekkanen will especially want to pick up The Wife Between Us, which Hendricks co-authored with her. The novel digs into marriage, deception, and betrayal with a smart, layered approach that suits readers who love domestic suspense with plenty of misdirection.
Liv Constantine, the sister writing duo of Lynne and Valerie Constantine, writes sleek, twist-heavy psychological thrillers centered on privilege, envy, and carefully hidden motives. Their books excel at exposing the cracks beneath polished, seemingly perfect lives.
If you liked Sarah Pekkanen’s blend of emotional tension and suspense, The Last Mrs. Parrish is a strong next read. It’s packed with manipulation, ambition, and sharp reversals that keep the story moving.
Shari Lapena specializes in fast-moving thrillers that uncover the disturbing truths hidden behind ordinary suburban life. Her short chapters and clean, efficient style create momentum quickly, making her books easy to race through.
Readers drawn to Sarah Pekkanen’s character-driven suspense should try Lapena’s The Couple Next Door, where an infant’s disappearance forces a seemingly normal family’s secrets into the open.
B.A. Paris writes psychological thrillers that focus intensely on relationships, especially marriages that look stable from the outside but conceal something far darker. Her work is tense, intimate, and rooted in emotional unease.
She has a knack for portraying characters whose fears and vulnerabilities feel immediate and believable.
If Sarah Pekkanen’s personal, psychologically rich storytelling appeals to you, Paris’s Behind Closed Doors is an excellent choice. It takes the idea of a perfect marriage and turns it into something deeply unsettling.
Ruth Ware is known for suspenseful thrillers with immersive settings, rising paranoia, and a strong sense of atmosphere. Her novels often combine classic mystery elements with modern psychological tension, creating a gripping slow-burn effect.
If you enjoy the emotional stakes and domestic strain in Sarah Pekkanen’s fiction, try Ware’s The Woman in Cabin 10. The claustrophobic cruise-ship setting and escalating uncertainty make it a compelling pick for readers who love nerve-racking suspense.
Mary Kubica writes psychological thrillers that begin in recognizable, everyday circumstances before gradually revealing deeper fears, secrets, and betrayals. Her stories balance suspense with a strong emotional core.
Fans of Sarah Pekkanen may enjoy Kubica’s The Good Girl, a tense novel involving abduction, family secrets, and motives that become more complicated the further the story unfolds.
Megan Miranda crafts suspense novels filled with mystery, strong pacing, and communities shaped by long memories and buried secrets. Many of her stories are set in small towns where the past never stays quiet for long.
Readers who appreciate Pekkanen’s emotionally compelling characters should look at Miranda’s All the Missing Girls. Its reverse chronology gives the disappearance story a fresh structure while deepening the sense of unease.
Riley Sager writes atmospheric thrillers that blend psychological suspense with touches of horror and mystery. Isolated settings, haunting backstories, and sharp twists are common features of his work.
If you like Pekkanen’s suspenseful storytelling paired with emotional undercurrents, Sager’s Lock Every Door is a great fit. Its eerie New York apartment building and steadily growing dread make it hard to put down.
Alice Feeney is known for clever, unsettling thrillers packed with unreliable perspectives, psychological tension, and bold twists. Her prose is sharp, and her stories are designed to keep readers slightly off balance.
Those who enjoy Sarah Pekkanen’s layered suspense will likely be pulled into Feeney’s Sometimes I Lie, an absorbing novel about a woman trapped in her own mind while shocking truths begin to surface around her.
Wendy Walker writes psychological suspense that explores trauma, family strain, and the emotional fallout of hidden truths. Her books tend to combine propulsive plots with thoughtful attention to character and motive.
That balance makes her a strong recommendation for Sarah Pekkanen readers. In All Is Not Forgotten, Walker tackles memory, trauma, and the ethics of forgetting in a story that is both intense and thought-provoking.
Laura Dave writes absorbing, character-centered stories about marriage, family, and the secrets that can reshape a life overnight. Her novels lean more toward emotional suspense than outright thriller, which may appeal to readers who enjoy Pekkanen’s relationship-driven narratives.
In The Last Thing He Told Me, Dave builds intrigue around a woman trying to uncover the truth behind her husband’s sudden disappearance.
Jessica Knoll writes sharp, dark novels that examine ambition, image, trauma, and the tension between public appearances and private pain. Her work often has an edge that makes familiar social situations feel more volatile and unsettling.
Readers who value Sarah Pekkanen’s insight into complicated inner lives may connect with Knoll’s Luckiest Girl Alive, a gripping story that explores trauma, pressure, and the cost of maintaining a carefully crafted identity.
Clare Mackintosh delivers psychological thrillers that combine emotional weight with expertly timed twists. Her stories often center on secrets, guilt, and morally complicated choices, giving them both suspense and depth.
If you enjoy Sarah Pekkanen’s emotionally resonant storytelling, Mackintosh’s I Let You Go is well worth reading. It’s a powerful novel about loss, accountability, and the difficult path toward redemption.
Lisa Jewell writes engaging novels that pair believable characters with mysteries rooted in everyday life. She is especially good at revealing hidden truths gradually, allowing emotional complexity and suspense to build side by side.
Fans of Sarah Pekkanen’s layered character work may enjoy Jewell’s Then She Was Gone, an emotional and suspenseful story about a missing teenager and the painful truths her disappearance leaves behind.
Alafair Burke blends psychological suspense with legal and ethical complications, creating stories that feel both smart and emotionally grounded. Her novels often explore how public narratives and private realities clash.
Readers who enjoy Sarah Pekkanen’s mix of emotional complexity and strong plotting should consider Burke’s The Wife, which examines marriage, trust, reputation, and the uneasy space between loyalty and suspicion.
