Edge of Your Seat Fiction for Teens & Adults

 I love a good story with lots of suspense, if I am literally hanging by my fingernails wondering how it will turn out; well, I am reading a VERY good story.  So here are some books I thought you would also enjoy if you too love living on the edge....of suspense anyway...haha.

Here is the link for the podcast if you want to listen   Alchemy of Genres podcast

This is a series by the same author of the Hunger Games franchise; but I like these more.  Gregor falls out of our world and into the Underworld when his sister discovers the door in the laundry room of his apartment complex. He finds that he is somehow at the heart of a prophecy he wants no party of, he just wants to get his sister and go home.  Then he finds that the father who disappeared many years ago, may be here, held prisoner; and if Gregor has a chance to save his dad, perhaps it will be ok to also fulfill a few prophecies along the way.  

I love the action in this series, reminded me a bit of Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth but with ickier creatures and a younger protagonist....don't be turned off by it being a teen book, it is a really fun and suspenseful series.

Trickster's Choice and Trickster's Queen make up this duet of a story.  Aly (Alianne) is the daughter of a famous mom (the first female knight) and a famous pirate, so she has learned a bit about a lot of things.  Her father quit being a pirate and is now spymaster for Tortall, and Aly has learned everything she could without being allowed to go out into the field as a spy.  When Aly is again refused a mission, she decides to go fishing, ends up caught in a storm and then is captured by slave traders.  They take her all the way to the other end of the world, to the Copper Islands; where Aly is sold.  Turns out a certain trickster god has his eye on her, and events in the Copper Isles are important to several deities.  Can Aly use all her spy knowledge to turn things around and play the biggest trick of all, give the lands back to the natives and steal them out from under their oppressors?  This story rushes you back and forth between politics, spies and interfering gods; it is just nonstop action.  Aly is an amazing character in this YA book that works great for older teens and adults.

The Keys to the Kingdom series is amazing and nonstop....and even the audiobook is done superbly.  The series starts with Mister Monday, who gives the Key to the House to Arthur during an asthma attack he is supposed to die from; but the key instantly makes him feel better.  The weird old guy disappears and now Arthur can see things no one else does, including this amazingly giant house.  Turns out the Key selected Arthur as "the Rightful Heir to the House", but in order to claim it he needs to find the Will, fight Mister Monday and his minions, find the cure for the sleeping sickness spreading throughout London and survive to return home.....all before Tuesday.....because Tuesday another fight begins.   Such an exciting and dark adventure, I recommend this to everyone.  Suitable for all ages of teens and adults who enjoy a great story.

Just another quick plug for one of my new obsessions....Hailey Turner's Soulbound series.  It is only available through Amazon, but you can also read it for free if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited.  It is meant for adults as it does have some sex scenes, and if you hate M/M romances, also give it a pass; but it is not primarily a romance....don't get it twisted, it is primarily an adventure with gods and monsters and magic with a side order of building a relationship for two people who have been alone too long.  LOVE.  <3

This series (Advent Mage Cycle) was originally submitted for consideration as a YA series but she didn't find a big house publisher, so she went another route.  This is another one you can only get through Amazon or Kindle; but is a very fun adventure for teens and adults.  Basic story:  Garth is running for his life as the story begins because in Chahir where he and his family live, magic is outlawed and the user as well as their entire family are executed if they are found.  So Garth runs.  Along the way, things get even more complicated; and he finds himself at the heart of a prophecy with a magic no one has seen for hundreds of years and finding items of power everywhere by accident....yeah, Garth has a gift for trouble as big as his gift for magic.  

The Alchemyst is the first book in this series and it has stayed popular due to Scott's amazing writing and attention to detail.  Two teens are caught up in a battle between good and evil; gods of various pantheons and untold varieties of magic.  The audio book is just as amazing (one of the best I've ever heard); and this series is written for tweens & teens but has so many layers that reading it as an adult you spot even more depth.  I find something new every time I read/listen.  

This story begins in an unnamed country in one of those dumpsites so large that a population of people live there and eke out a living looking for useful items in the trash.  Raphael finding something mysterious in one of his digs, so he keeps it instead of selling it.  He doesn't think much about it until some people start asking questions, and killing for the answers.  Now he is on the run with only his own street smarts and the connections he and his 2 friends can figure out as they go.  Can they outrun and outsmart all of the people after them?  This was such a cool story, and they actually made a move out of it, I think it's in Portuguese.....but I saw a reference.....not sure if it's good, so let me know.  The book was awesome though, written for teens, short in length but enjoyable for all ages.

This is the book taking teen fiction by storm right now (I think we have like 20 people on hold for 4 copies).  I am surprised no one has picked it up for a movie yet.  In this book we meet Bronwyn, the brain; Addy, the beauty; Nate, the criminal; Cooper, the athlete and Simon, the outcast.  Simon has created a gossip site run on an app that leaves everyone quaking in fear because Simon seems to find out everyone's secrets.  Each person in detention that day has reasons to be upset with Simon, so when he dies IN detention with only those 4 people, it's obvious someone is lying....someone caused this.....but who is it?

One of the things that makes this book so good is that McManus fully fleshes out each character, making sure you understand who they are, what they fear, and why they would never do this horrible thing.  As a reader you want to believe in each of them all the while knowing that someone has to be lying......such a good book with a twist ending no one ever sees coming.  

Rot & Ruin is a different kind of zombie novel.  It's not about the zombies, it's about the effect zombies have on people & society as a whole.  Maberry makes you think about what happens to a whole generation of people who grow up used to killing human type creatures and wondering how big of a step is it really to move onto murder?  Maberry also reminds the reader that the real monsters are always the humans, because a zombie will only kill you because that's all it knows but humans make a choice to do it; and some grow to love it.  At the center of the story are two brothers Benny and Tom Imura.  Benny is following his brother around as a zombie hunter in training, but Tom seems to dislike killing zombies and Benny doesn't understand....he doesn't want to be doing this as a career, but he definitely thought it would be a cooler career than his boring brother is making it.  This is a thoughtful and suspenseful and scary book and you should read it whether you are a teen or an adult.

Dread Nation is an alternate history/zombie novel set in the South but in this South, the Civil War was cancelled due to the zombies; and some really want that war to have happened.  Jane is a student at Miss Preston's School for Combat as all "negroes and natives" are required by law to learn to fight zombies in order to better defend the rich white citizens.  Jane accidentally uncovers a conspiracy and she and a classmate are sent to the midwest where things go from bad to worse and it will take all the skills and smarts both girls possess to survive what is coming.  

This is a dark and uncomfortable book at times; but it is also chockfull of suspense and tension whilst the reader tries to see what will happen next.  This book was written for teens but can be enjoyed by anyone.

I have mentioned this series before, so just dropping a note to say, it is full of adventure and suspense.  The Iron Druid series is written for adults but could also be enjoyed by older teens (maybe 16 & up?)

If you haven't heard me talk about this series, you haven't been paying attention....full of gods, magic and trickery....loads of all the good things.

The Newsflesh books are another series I have talked about nonstop...definitely an obsession.  Honestly it works for teens and adults and is the perfect example of a book that can be read on so many levels; especially right now when our world seems just as full of fear and divisive politics (minus the zombies).  Definitely check out these books, they are so full of suspense you have to read them multiple times; because you just want to hurry and get to what happens next that you miss things....

Within The Mind is an adult title, about two cops; Chevy & Seneca.  This world allows for psychic abilities among their police forces, and Chevy specializes in being able to literally get into people's minds and see what memories they have.  Then he gets trapped in a serial killer's mind and both the reader and the main characters are constantly questioning what is real and what is in the mind.  Can they find the killer before they are his next victim?

This book has some vulgar humor (which I don't mind, but some do) as well as some sex scenes and a M/M romantic angle....just a heads up in case you don't enjoy any of those.  But I loved it, so fun, funny and creepy as all get out.

This is an older book (at least 10 years old); but I'm hoping by talking about it a new generation of teens will find out how awesome it is.  The idea of this is that for select people, in select locations; there is an extra hour (aka the "secret" hour) of the day.  In that hour, some people have powers; but also there are monsters who can do terrible things.  Jessica is new to town and had no idea about this secret hour, but now that she knows; she is finding out all sorts of things....but is she here to save the town or to destroy it?

It's been awhile since I read this; but I still think of it as one of the most suspenseful and scary books of Stephen King's ever.  I think because it is so reality based; a woman and her son trapped in a car by a rabid and very large dog.  The claustrophobia, the worry of infection of wounds, the heat, the lack of food or water and just a mother's worry about how best to care for her child.....all of it combine to make this story just awesome.  Not for the faint of heart (duh! it's King); but definitely worth a read.

Ready Player One is set in a future dystopia that doesn't feel all that far off (it's only a few years from now in 2044).  There is no more gas, so everyone tries to live near the city, and actually make stacks of trailer homes in order to conserve space but make room for all those who need places to live.  Because resources are scarce, everything is online and everyone lives in OASIS, a VR world so real, they actually have school in it; but so full of fantastical potential that you can literally find a world based on any movie or book ever created.  When the man responsible for the creation of the OASIS dies, he leaves all rights to his money and to the world itself to whomsoever solves his puzzles, finds the keys hidden in all the Easter Eggs and gets to the final level first.  Everyone wants to solve it, but no one has....until one teen finally sets the world on end when he finds the first key....and now it's a race; not just for the fun of solving this, or for the money but also because some players are actually corporate drones who want to keep the have-nots away from ever having anything and will stop at nothing to ensure the rich retain all the power.  The movie of this wasn't so good; but the book....awesome...and fun for teens and adults.

Jasper (Jazz) is the son of a famous serial killer.  All Jazz's dad wanted was for him to grow up just like him; maybe even kill more people in more imaginative ways.  Now that his dad's in jail, all Jazz wants is a regular life, but with his dad's voice in his head and his racist, deranged grandmother as his guardian things are not easy.  Then someone starts copying Jazz's dad's killings; and Jazz is determined to help find the killer, because if he doesn't either his dad will get out of jail, or the town will paint him as his father's true heir and he will be in jail right next to him.   

Jazz is a really fascinating character, and this trilogy is just so crazy full of suspense and action it's awesome.  Written for teens, but enjoyable for anyone who loves a murder mystery suspense story.

It's hard to explain this book and this series because I always worry I'll give it all away....it is a VERY visual book, so it looks ginormous, but isn't really (skim through it, you'll understand).  Basically, it's the story of corporate greed turned to murder, some people who escape the genocide only to be trapped on two overcrowded spaceships on the run from corporations, fighting a biological agent that is killing them and oh yeah, a super smart computer that was slightly damaged but is still in charge of literally everything.   You need to read this.....and tell everyone else to as well.  Written for teens but fun for all.

This book is #2 in the Simply Crafty series, and is the most suspenseful of the two thus far.  Alex and Micah are at a crafting convention to relax after the stressful events of the last few months.  Unfortunately when they arrive at their B&B, something in the woods is creepy and possibly killing people; Alex is seeing more and more ghosts, Micah is having flashbacks to his disappearance and both of them are somehow suspects when a housemate is found murdered.  All the ghosts & otherworldly things combined with human craziness make this a fun and creepily suspenseful story.  Definitely written for adults, and it is a M/M romance story as well; so just don't read it if you don't like that....but if you just like a good story....check it out.

Liz is a lawyer, who suddenly has a client out to kill her.  A colleague suggests she hide at his brother's farm in upstate NY, and it seems ideal.  Of course the brother is super sexy; and yup...danger follows her and definitely there are sexy shenanigans but you know what?  You will enjoy the ride all the way.

Weatherspoon writes romantic suspense for adults, so this is not for teens; but it is suspenseful and fun.

Code Name Verity is set in WWII.  It's 1943 and a British spy plane crashes in Nazi occupied France.  The female pilot is presumed dead, but actually escapes but is in hiding and trying to get back to England.  Verity is the spy and has been captured by Gestapo agents and is writing her life story as a confession of her secret activities against the Nazis.  The story is told in both voices, but Verity's is the most heart wrenching.  

You want a happy ending, but you aren't really sure there is one since you know what the history books say.  You shouldn't read this if you have trouble with frank discussions of what happens to prisoners of war.....this is a rough read but so good.  Teens and adults will enjoy reading it, but bring tissues because you will need them.....lots of rough spots within the narrative.

Wes Cooper is an odd entity.  He died in the 1800's but was brought back to life; but not really...so he is not aging and can "go ghost" anytime and be invisible to most.  Wes has made himself a career as a "retrieval specialist" who will invisibly reclaim lost items for those who pay for his services (think of it as a thief with ethics).  Wes witnesses a murder while incorporeal, so he didn't see the face (things look different on the other side of the veil); but he knows it was a murder, so he reports it.  Unfortunately the Detective in charge is the man who broke his heart 20 years ago.....but things are different now, maybe they can start over?  What Wes doesn't know is that Hudson Rojas has his own secrets, and some of them may get Wes dead for real....can they figure this out or will they stumble over their own issues and let a murderer get away?   This was such an interesting concept and the murders were laid out in a way that keeps you guessing....with new secrets popping up all the time to keep you off balance.

This is another Amazon only/Kindle Unlimited book, part of a trilogy; and is written for adults who enjoy ghosts, and M/M romance as a part of the puzzle.

C.S. Poe lives up to her name and loves to write intricate and suspenseful novels.  This book features a main character suffering from narcolepsy, which adds to the suspense because when things get too tense, he falls asleep (definitely not good when murders are happening).

Aubrey is  in charge of a historical house in Key West, FL, who was just planning on a fun week with his long distance boyfriend, Jun Tanaka.  Then he finds a skeleton in a closet, which disappears, then murder and mayhem ensue.  Tanaka is forced to use his FBI skills to solve the case alongside Aubrey but will they solve it in time?

This is an Amazon only/Kindle Unlimited title; and is meant for adults....but if you enjoy a well made mystery and don't mind a bit of M/M sexiness; then you will enjoy this book.

I love that C.S Poe wrote a book featuring Edgar Allan Poe.....and it's a mystery.  So awesome!  Sebastian is an owner of an antiques store who is having boyfriend issues due to his BF still being closeted.  When someone hides a heart in Sebastian's floorboards, the dominoes start rolling and everything starts to happen at once.......who is this cop Calvin who is helpful yet stern?  Why are all these Poe related incidents happening, and escalating into murders?  How is Sebastian involved and can he convince Calvin to listen to his theories before it's too late?

This series (this is the first) is so well done with characters fully fleshed out and feeling three dimensional.  The mystery twists and turns and the reader follows along with Sebastian for every right (and wrong) turn in the adventure.

This is another Amazon only title (or Kindle Unlimited); and is meant for adults.  

August is a Detective in Sydney who has been working on finding a serial killer who focuses on gay men and makes their deaths look like suicides.  Few people want to believe in these murders, choosing to believe the verdict of suicide but August keeps trying.  Then Senior Constable Jacob in a tiny town, Tallowwood, near New South Wales finds a body that matches August's files.  The two of them begin to work together to find the missing pieces but the more they find, the more dangerous it gets.  Who could be doing this, and can they figure it out before the murderer sets his sites on them?

Walker does an amazing job on this book.  The nonstop action is the centerpiece of the novel, with a smidge of romance on the side.  This book is meant for adults, and is another Amazon only book (or Kindle Unlmited).

I have to admit, I was reluctant to read any of Robb's books; but I am glad I did.  They are fun police procedural suspense novels designed to keep you on the edge of your seat.  She focuses the story on the main character, Police Detective Eve and incorporates all the people she meets in solving various murders.  The title/pic to the right is #50 in the series, so jump in and read in order; you will enjoy it (just ignore some of the sketchier SF references....it will be fine).

This is the first book in the Lockwood & Co series.  The central premise to these books is that there was some sort of event that happened which caused ghosts to come in droves, and the only people who can see them to fight them; are kids younger than 18....so a whole new industry of ghost hunters/fighters is developed but it's really awkward since adults run things but kids have to do the work.  Lockwood & Co is a firm run & owned by teens who are determined to prove they can do it all without adult interference....unfortunately, their last case went spectacularly wrong and was highly publicized, and so the only way to save their reputation is to try for the gold ring offered to them.  So they agree to stay overnight in the most haunted house in the country, with a huge bonus if they can resolve the haunting....but if they fail, they will be dead.

This is a series full of ghosts and suspense and is really well done.  It's written for teens but would be fun for anyone.

Thanks for reading/listening!  ttyl   Saleena Davidson, South Brunswick Library