Blake Porter is riding high, until he’s not. Fired from his job and unable to make the mortgage payments on his new brownstone, he’s desperate to make ends meet.
Enter: Whitney. Beautiful, charming, down-to-earth, and looking for a room to rent, she’s exactly what Blake’s looking for. Or is she? Because something isn’t quite right. The neighbors start treating Blake differently. The smell of decay permeates the kitchen, no matter how hard he scrubs. And Whitney claims she knows what he’s done. Soon it’s obvious that danger lives right at home. And by the time Blake realizes it, it’ll be far too late.
One of the most important parts of a story, any story, is getting the audience to root for the main character. Or, at least, to understand them. Their motivation, their purpose, and why they make the decisions they do, all contribute to audiences feeling invested in their journey, wherever that may take them. It’s why, sometimes, we root for the villain more than the “hero” because we understand why they’re doing what they’re doing, even if we don’t agree with their actions.
Nothing taps into this more than revenge thrillers! What’s easier to understand than a wronged character seeking vengeance? What’s more thrilling than a character exacting the revenge they fought so desperately for? Who’s more sympathetic than, say, John Wick, seeking vengeance for the murder of the dog his deceased wife gave to him, or, a classicly quoted Liam Neeson as he fights to save his kidnapped daughter? We’ve all been wronged before, have fantasized about the petty revenge we’d get in retaliation, and revenge thrillers elevate that to an extreme. There’s nothing more satisfying than bad guys getting their due.
If you’re in the mood for a satisfying vengeance story or two, check out these eight delightfully page-turning revenge thrillers!
Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbil Weiden
After the death of his sister, Virgil Wounded Horse takes guardianship of his nephew, Nathan. To get the money to send him to college, Virgil works as an enforcer in their community, doling out justice when the system fails.
When he’s offered a large sum to handle a drug issue on the reservation, he takes it. That is, until Nathan is caught in the drug scene too. Now, with a personal stake in the issue, Virgil is determined to find the source and put a stop to it.
The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson
Under the instruction of her looming father, Maddy hides her Blackness, passing as white at her high school. But after a rainstorm during gym class reveals her natural hair, her classmates begin to taunt her mercilessly and aggressively. After a video of students bullying Maddy goes viral, student leadership at the school come up with a plan to correct their image: an integrated prom. A prom where Maddy might just get the chance to exact her revenge.
Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha
In the aftermath of the shooting of a Black teenager in 2019, tensions in Los Angeles rise. Especially for Shawn, the brother of a Black girl who was shot and killed in the 1990s. His story intersects with Grace, the daughter of Korean immigrant parents who run a local pharmacy full of family tension of their own. As Shawn and Grace’s stories overlap, revenge, injustice, and loss amass into a tragedy.
The Trap by Melanie Raabe, translated by Imogen Taylor
Twelve years after finding the body of her murdered sister and witnessing the murderer flee the scene, 38-year-old Linda Conrads is a best-selling author who also happens to never leave her house. Ever. Then, one day, she sees a journalist on television who she’s convinced is her sister’s murderer. To catch the killer, she hatches a plan in the form of a new book, granting the journalist an exclusive interview to try to get his DNA. Will she succeed, though, or will the effort invite a monster into her sanctuary?
The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu by Tom Lin
As an orphan, Ming was raised by a white man to be as deadly as possible, later working as a sharpshooter and enforcer for a crime boss in the West. Ming soon falls in love with the daughter of a railroad tycoon, eloping with her to a better life. But after rich and powerful men break up his marriage and get him sentenced to years of hard labor, he’s ready to use his murderous skills to exact revenge.
Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian
In exchange for a college scholarship, seven psychopaths, including freshman Chloe, agree to be subjects of a psychological study at John Adams University. Her motives, though, are more focused on getting revenge on another student, Will, in revenge for something he did in their past. But when a murder happens within the group, Chloe must decide who, if any, of the other subjects can be trusted to help her make it out alive.
The Sunday Girl by Pip Drysdale
After her longtime boyfriend, Angus, breaks up with her and then posts a sex tape of them for the world to see, Taylor has had enough of his toxic behavior. Taking advice from The Art of War, Taylor spends her days plotting revenge based on the intricate knowledge of Angus she has learned from all of their time together. But Angus won’t let her revenge happen without a fight and soon the two are locked in an escalating situation neither of them can stop.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larson, translated by Reg Keeland
Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist, is facing a sentence for libel when he’s hired by Henrik Vanger, the uncle of a woman who was murdered forty years ago, to investigate the case. Teaming up with a hacker named Lisbeth Salander who is out for revenge, the pair uncover something far more sinister than either of them expected.
I hope one of these revenge thrillers catches your eye! If you’re in the mood for more thrilling reads, check out these cold case mysteries or these nail-biting audiobook thrillers!