Seraphina Nova Glass on Why We Love Infidelity…In Thrillers

 

From Shakespeare to Tolstoy to the contemporary airport paperback, we love reading about juicy affairs and cheating spouses. What’s wrong with us? Well, it’s really a tale as old as human civilization. Desire and lust can be a harrowing and complicated thing, so it makes sense that writers take advantage of that…especially thriller writers. People fear it, so it automatically makes for a great trope in these types of novels. 

I personally like to write about affairs because it’s doorway to slew of terrible things to come--lies, cover-ups, jealous rage, revenge, violent crime, and even murder. An affair means something is wrong, something’s off—there’s danger and mistrust at the very mention of it. Adultery is seen as a vulgar thing preying on our deepest desires and fears which fits nicely in a thriller plot. Here are some noteworthy thrillers with a sordid affair at the heart of the story:

Notes On A Scandal By Zoe Heller

This cleverly-written, unconventional thriller tells the story of Sheba, a lonely, middle-aged teacher having a sexual relationship with one of her high school pupils. The brilliantly-drawn characters in this story are at once disturbing and fascinating. When Sheba’s secrets are discovered, the blackmail that follows is...well, unlike any other story I’ve ever read. It’s thought provoking, creepy, and viscous all at once. A must-read.

The Silent Patient By Alex Michaelides

If you’re looking for a thriller with a twist to die for, this is it. A woman shoots her husband five times in the face and then never speaks another word. Her psychotherapist is determined to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband, and this “takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him....” If you haven’t already heard the buzz about this one, I’ll confirm it lives up to the hype.

The Last Affair By Margot Hunt

I don’t care what anyone says, I’m a sucker for juicy, unlikable characters. Suburban wife and mother, Gwen Landon, has it all…until she’s found in a pool of blood in her backyard. You’ll be pulling out your best detective skills trying to nail down the culprit in this twisty story. Every character is a suspect and it will keep you turning pages and guessing until the end. A fast-paced, delicious read.

Such A Good Wife by Seraphina Nova Glass (Published by Titan Books) Out Now

Melanie Hale is a devoted mother to her two children, a diligent caregiver to her ailing mother-in-law and a trusted neighbor in their wealthy Louisiana community. Above all, she's a loving partner to her wonderful husband, Collin. Then there are the parts of herself that Mel keeps hidden. She's exhausted, worried and unfulfilled. So much so that one night, after a writers' group meeting, Mel begins an affair with a successful local author named Luke. Suddenly she's transformed into a role she doesn't recognize-a woman who deceives with unseemly ease. A woman who might be capable of just about anything. When Mel finds Luke's dead body in his lavish rented house, she realizes just how high the stakes have become. Not only does she have to keep her affair a secret in order to preserve her marriage, but she desperately needs to avoid being implicated in Luke's death. But who would want to kill him? Who else in her life is keeping secrets? And most terrifying of all, how far will they-and she-go to keep those secrets hidden?

Books to Look Forward to from Titan Books

 

January 2022

Such a Good Wife is by Seraphina Nova Glass. Melanie Hale is a devoted mother to her two children, a diligent caregiver to her ailing mother-in-law and a trusted neighbor in their wealthy Louisiana community. Above all, she's a loving partner to her wonderful husband, Collin. Then there are the parts of herself that Mel keeps hidden. She's exhausted, worried and unfulfilled. So much so that one night, after a writers' group meeting, Mel begins an affair with a successful local author named Luke. Suddenly she's transformed into a role she doesn't recognize-a woman who deceives with unseemly ease. A woman who might be capable of just about anything. When Mel finds Luke's dead body in his lavish rented house, she realizes just how high the stakes have become. Not only does she have to keep her affair a secret in order to preserve her marriage, but she desperately needs to avoid being implicated in Luke's death. But who would want to kill him? Who else in her life is keeping secrets? And most terrifying of all, how far will they-and she-go to keep those secrets hidden?

A brand-new Sherlock Holmes mystery from acclaimed Sherlockian author David Stuart Davies, featuring the return of the sinister Moriarty gang... When Professor James Moriarty plunged over the Reichenbach Falls the world believed that Sherlock Holmes was also dead. Three years later, Holmes has returned - but so, too, has a deadly threat. With Moriarty's criminal empire still very much alive, Holmes and Watson are forced to ask themselves if their greatest foe really did perish. The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Revenge from the Grave is by David Stuart Davies.

February 2022

one of the world's finest crime novelists turned his pen to suspense of a very different sort - and the results have never been published, until now. Fans of mystery fiction have often pondered whether it would be possible to write a suspense novel without any crime at all, and in Call Me a Cab the masterful Donald E. Westlake answered the question in his inimitable style. You won't find any crime in these pages - but what you will find is a wonderful suspense story, about a New York City taxi driver hired to drive a beautiful woman all the way across America, from Manhattan to Los Angeles, where the biggest decision of her life is waiting to be made. It's Westlake at his witty, thought-provoking best, and it proves that a page-turner doesn't need to have a bomb set to go off at the end of it in order to keep sparks flying every step of the way.

The hitman hero of the acclaimed series Quarry on Cinemax returns for his final fight. He has put killing behind him. But after a beautiful writer of true-crime bestsellers drops by to announce he’s the subject of her next book, killers descend to give him some of his own deadly medicine, forcing Quarry to journey into his bloody past to find the answers – and settle old scores. The visit from a beautiful young woman who seems to have uncovered all his carefully hidden secrets is surprising but what does she want? To expose him? To blackmail him? To get him to come out of retirement to kill someone for her? Quarry's Blood is by Max Alan Collins and brings the hitman’s decades-long saga right up to the present day

March 2022

Hot Water is by Christopher Fowler. At a beautiful villa in the south of France, Hannah Carreras works as a maid. Under strict instructions never to speak to the guests, she blends into the background – but she sees everything. Including the mistress Summer, lounging by the pool awaiting the arrival of her married lover, Steve. When Steve finally shows at the villa – with his family unexpectedly in tow – Summer has vanished. Steve claims he never saw her. But Steve’s wife is no fool: she knows there’s something going on. Whose tiny bikini lies by the pool? Whose perfume is in the bathroom? Before long, the local police start asking questions, and the villa’s occupants have something to hide. Only Hannah, always listening, watching, saw broken glass and blood near the pool the day Summer disappeared. Only Hannah thinks she knows what lies are being told…

Sometimes you bury the past. Sometimes it buries you. Every professional thief knows you never return to the scene of a crime. But what if you’re forced to? In this intense heist story veteran thief Nolan and his young partner in crime Jon back to rob the same bank they targeted in their debut novel, Two for The Money, at the behest of an embezzling executive and a femme fatale with dollar signs where her soul should be. And those aren’t the only figures resurfacing from the past either – the ruthless Comfort clan is back to even old scores, and some members of the Outfit are packing bullets with Nolan’s name on them. With all these forces marshalled against him, can even the toughest professional hardcase come out on top? Tough Tender is by Max Allan Collins.

Seraphina Nova Glass on The Top Three Well Placed Red Herrings in Crime Fiction

 

What’s a mystery without a red herring? The use of a great red herring leads the reader down multiple paths of uncertainty and is strategically necessary in a good thriller or mystery. Using them correctly is an art. The killer is never going to be the obvious bad guy making all the noise, right? We’re savvy readers these days, so if you have a character who makes too little noise and seems like the least likely culprit, that will automatically send up a red flag and make them highly suspect too, so it’s not an easy feat creating an engaging mystery with the magic number of red herrings . It’s a balance. The author needs to misdirect with the right amount of distraction and illusion that induces the reader to make false conclusions, but not bombard us with too many characters to care about and rabbit holes to climb down.

Each red herring has to serve a purpose, be carefully planned out and placed. They must add to the story while not being too obvious. The reader should never figure them out before the protagonist does. It’s not an easy undertaking, but here are three novels that make the red herring look easy. 

The Invitation by Rachel Abbott

Jemma and Matt are invited to Matt’s childhood friend, Lucas Jarrett's, home for a wedding that ends in tragedy. A body is found. One of the guests is dead. A year later, they are all invited back for what turns into a twisted game Lucas is forcing them all to play in order to uncover what really happened that fateful night and which one of them knows more than they’re letting on. 

This one got rave reviews for a reason. There are so many characters that you have red herrings galore and although sometimes it can be jarring to keep so many characters straight especially with multiple points of view, in addition to switching between first and third person, that structure actually makes it effortless. Don’t let the complexity deter you because it’s a very well-constructed plot with memorable characters you’ll find yourself thinking about after you put it down. 

The Sleeper By Emily Barr

Lara Finch is living a lie. She is bored in her marriage although to the outside world, her life is idyllic. When she talks her husband into agreeing she should take a job in London that requires her to take an overnight sleeper train each week, she feels guilty for enjoying being away. That guilt is short lived, however, when she meets a man on the train whom she begins an affair with. When she suddenly disappears from the train, her double life and dark secrets from the past begin to surface as the search for her ensues. 

I love a story that’s so well-crafted you never suspect the ending and so you keep turning the pages because you will not be satisfied until you know the truth. The structure of this book switches between two first person protagonists in an unusual way that really keeps the reader’s suspicions darting from character to character in search of the culprit. There aren’t an abundance of red herrings, but the ones that exist are so well placed you suspect everyone and no one all at the same time. 

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

On an island off the coast of Ireland, a high profile wedding is being held, and when the family and friends of the couple arrive, things get weird fast. The best man, the bridesmaid, the plus one, the wedding planner--everyone has a secret and yes, there’s a murder, but this dream wedding turns into a nightmare long before the dead body is found. Told in a past/present structure the question is, who is the victim and who is the killer? 

The author provides the perspectives of a wide host of diverse characters, from the bride, to the guests, to the host which keeps the list of suspects juicy because you are getting facts from all sides and trusting and suspecting everyone’s motives at some point. There are so many people to suspect, you’ll never guess the satisfying twist that awaits you at the end. Each characters past--their grief, losses, their simmering resentments and jealousies are skillfully revealed as the story moves toward it’s explosive ending, and the red herrings are so adeptly sprinkled in, that even though it’s a slow burn, you will gladly wait, and it will be worth it. 

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Someone's Listening by Seraphina Nova Glass (Published by Titan Books) Out Now

Faith Finley has it all: she's a talented psychologist with a flourishing career, a bestselling author and the host of a popular local radio program, Someone's Listening, with Dr. Faith Finley. She's married to the perfect man, Liam Finley, a respected food critic. Until the night everything goes horribly wrong, and Faith's life is shattered forever. Liam is missing-gone without a trace-and the police are suspicious of everything Faith says. They either think she has something to hide, or that she's lost her mind. And then the notes begin to arrive. Notes that are ripped from Faith's own book, the one that helps victims leave their abusers. Notes like "Lock your windows. Consider investing in a steel door." As the threats escalate, the mystery behind Liam's disappearance intensifies. And Faith's very life will depend on finding answers...