7 New Thrillers Written by Women

Never mind that we’re on the other side of the winter solstice and that global warming is real, I still think of January as having long, cold evenings that were made for reading. Give me a good suspense or crime novel, a cozy afghan, and something warm to drink and I’ll be happy for hours. Here are seven thrillers that have caught my eye—all written by women and all out this month.

• An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen (St. Martin’s Press, January 8): Set in New York City, this is the story of a young woman who worms her way into an ethics study, hoping to answer a quick survey and walk away with $500. As the female doctor’s probing questions become more and more disturbing, our protagonist finds it difficult to break free.
• The Au Pair by Emma Rous (Berkley, January 8): Set on the Norfolk coast, this is a thriller involving family secrets. When a young woman goes through her late-father’s belongings she finds a photograph that makes her question the circumstances of her mother’s suicide, just hours after giving birth, and the reasons for the au pair’s sudden departure on the very same day.
• Freefall by Jessica Barry (Harper, January 8): A woman survives a plane crash in the Colorado Rockies, knowing that conquering nature is the least of her concerns. Meanwhile in Maine, her estranged mother, desperate to learn her daughter's fate, discovers the younger woman's secret life and hopes to offer protection before it's too late.
• Her One Mistake by Heidi Perks (Gallery, January 8): Set in the English countryside, this is the story of what happens when a woman loses her best friend’s daughter at the local school fair. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Harriet, the grieving mother, withdraws from her husband and friends. When the police investigation fails to recover the girl, Harriet realizes she must face her darker self before she can have any hope of seeing her daughter again.

• She Lies in Wait by Gytha Lodge (Random House; January 8): Set in Hampshire, England, this start of a new series involves a cold-case murder and small-town secrets. Thirty years after a young teen disappeared after partying in the woods with friends, her body is found, and the local detective chief inspector is tasked with tracking down the witnesses and uncovering the truth of what happened the night the girl was killed.
• The Suspect by Fiona Barton (Berkley; January 22): Set mostly in Bangkok, this thriller asks, How far would a mother go to protect her child? When a British journalist is dispatched to Thailand to follow a story about two teens who went missing after a fire in a youth hostel, she is horrified to discover that her estranged son is a prime suspect.
• Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus (Delacorte Press, January 8): When teenage twins move to Vermont to live with their grandmother, one of them becomes obsessed with the small town’s infamous reputation for girls gone missing. A fairly recent murder, another disappearance, and personal threats can’t keep our hero from poking into the area's dark history.