Books with Unreliable Narrators
I love books with unreliable narrators. There is something so much fun about reading a book where the entire story is not laid out clearly. You will never know where the story is going!
These thrillers often have unlikeable narrators which add to the enjoyment of the book. What is an unreliable narrator? When the narrator of the story has a viewpoint that is skewed from reality, that is an unreliable narrator. There can be so many reasons why a narrator is unreliable and each one is more fun than the last. These are our favorite unreliable narrator books, we hope you like them.
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New Books With Unreliable Narrators
Beautiful Ugly: A Novel
Author: Alice Feeney
Year: 2025
Genre: Thriller
More info: New York Times Bestselling Author
Spice Rating:đź’‹
Age Range: 18+
Plot
Grady Green, an author, anxiously awaits news about the sales of his latest book. He had hoped his wife, Abby, would be with him when the call came, but she was still on her way home. During a phone call with her, he hears the screech of brakes as Abby exclaims that there’s a woman in the road. Despite his desperate pleas for her to stay in the car, Abby gets out to check on the woman. Suddenly, the call cuts off.
When Grady drives to her location, he finds Abby’s car perched dangerously close to the edge of a cliff. The driver’s door is open—but Abby is gone.
A year later, Abby is still missing, and Grady is consumed by grief and insomnia. Struggling to move forward, his editor, Kitty, offers him a lifeline: a chance to escape to a remote Scottish island to work on his next book. Grady needs the money and the change of scenery to start rebuilding his life.
The island, isolated and sparsely populated, has strict rules—no visitors during the off-season and no cars for non-residents. It seems like the perfect place to write. But when Grady sees a woman who looks exactly like Abby, he begins to question his sanity. Is it a cruel trick of the mind, or something much more mysterious? #gifted
Trigger Warnings
Alcoholism
Why Jackie loves it
Alice Feeney never fails to write a fantastic thriller and this book was no exception. It is fast-paced, smart, and unexpected. Grady is an alcoholic which makes him an unreliable narrator; however, his character is more than just an alcoholic. I often dislike unreliable narrators but I loved this book.
Find this book in: Books About Scotland / Books with Unreliable Narrators / Mystery and Thriller Novels About Writers / Popular Thriller Books
The Last Room on the Left
Author: Leah Konen
Year: 2025
Genre: Thriller
Spice Rating:đź’‹đź’‹
Age Range: 18+
Plot
Kerry takes a job as a caretaker for a motel in the Catskills after her life derailed. Her husband left her, she has not spoken to her best friend in months, she is an alcoholic, and she has writer’s block. She is determined to write her book and get her life back.
But, as soon as she arrives, she knows that things are not right. The room she is supposed to stay in is in complete disarray. There are alcohol bottles everywhere and clothes and suitcases in the room. A blizzard has started, the motel loses power and that is when Kerry notices a frozen body in the snow.
With no cell phone service and no power, Kerry enters the blizzard to her neighbor to find help from the police. When they arrive, the body is nowhere to be seen. Is her drinking problem finally catching up to her or is there a murderer on the loose?
Trigger Warnings
Alcohol abuse, drug use, reference to whipping/ nonconsensual S&M, and statutory rape
Why Jackie likes it
This is a fast-paced book that will have you wondering what is real. Kerry is an unreliable narrator who is not even reliable by her own account! If you liked Girl on the Train, this is the perfect book for you.
Find this book in: Books with Unreliable Narrators / Isolation Thrillers / Mystery and Thriller Novels About Writers
Plot
Rosie Lachlan was left in her wedding dress and is now determined to find her soul mate – especially after she received a life-saving heart transplant. When she learns the identity of her heart donor, she becomes convinced that she and the donor’s husband are meant to be together.
Despite learning that Morgan Thorne may have had something to do with his wife’s death, Rosie is not sure she can stay away from his enigmatic pull. But not all is what it seemed in the Thornes marriage or with Rosie and her “rosie-colored” glasses.
Why Kirsten loves it
I’ve loved Megan Collins since The Family Plot so I was eager to get my hands on her latest book. It was just as suspenseful and surprising as all her books and I found myself gobsmacked by the plot-twist halfway through the story.
Find this book in: Books with Unreliable Narrators / Mystery and Thriller Novels About Writers
Popular Books with Unreliable Narrators
Gone Girl
Author: Gillian Flynn
Year: 2012
Genre: Thriller
More info: #1 New York Times Bestseller
One of Time’s 100 Best Mystery and Thriller Books of All Time
Spice Rating:đź’‹
Age Range: 18+
Plot
This is a psychological thriller book that almost everyone had heard of when it became a hit movie. It is the perfect example of what happens when a marriage goes terribly wrong. You will be questioning this book from the first page to the last.
On her fifth wedding anniversary, Amy Dunne mysteriously disappears. At the top of the suspect list is her husband Nick who seems perfect to the outside world. But, Nick and Amy are not who they appear to be.
There are so many twists and turns in this book that is the epitome of a domestic thriller and, if you love unreliable narrator books, this one is right up your alley. You may end up hating the characters, but this is one of the most popular thriller books ever written.
Why Kirsten loves it
This is such a great psychological thriller. I never knew what was going to happen and it kept me turning the pages to see how this thriller would end.
Why Jackie loves it
This is another book where I loved to hate both Nick and Amy. They are both despicable which adds to the fun of this book
Find this book in: Domestic Thriller Books / Best Mystery Books / Unreliable Narrator / Nonlinear Narrative Novels / Best Psychological Thriller Books / Popular Thriller Books
Girl on the Train
Author: Paula Hawkins
Year: 2015
Genre: Thriller
More info: #1 New York Times Bestseller
Movie Starring Emily Blunt
Spice Rating:đź’‹
Age Range: 18+
Plot
Rachel takes the same train every day and peers out the window watching people. She watched two people in particular as they led what appeared to be a perfect life until one day she saw something terrible while watching them.
She reports it to the police but, can they trust a dysfunctional alcoholic? This is a domestic thriller story that will have you questioning who is telling the truth from the beginning until the end. Unreliable narrators like Rachel make the best page-turners! You’ll never know what to believe!
Trigger Warnings
Alcoholism
Why Kirsten loves it
This is a thriller that is unexpected and original. The unreliable narrator is one of my favorite thriller tropes and Hawkins did it to perfection in this book.
Why Jackie loves it
I loved to hate Rachel. She is the perfect unreliable narrator and I never guessed what would happen next.
Find this book in: Books with Stalkers / Domestic Thrillers / Unreliable Narrators / Psychological Thriller Books / British Books / Nonlinear Narrative Novels / Paula Hawkins Books Ranked / Amnesia Books
The Silent Patient
Author: Alex Michaelides
Year: 2019
Genre: Thriller
More info: Instant New York Times Bestseller
Age Range: 18+
Plot
This popular thriller book was Michaelides’s debut novel and sold over 65 million copies for good reason. This psychological thriller sucked me in immediately – a woman murders her husband and then doesn’t say a word for 10 years.
Convinced he can help, a psychologist named Theo transfers to the facility where Alice is staying to try to get the real story behind the fateful night of the murder.
Soon, he will become obsessed with Alice and finding out the truth behind the murders.
Trigger Warnings
Suicide Attempt, mental illness
Why Kirsten likes it
This is my first Michaelides book and I can see why this is a bestseller. The story is fast moving and unpredictable and the plot sucked me in immediately.
Find this book in: Unreliable Narrator Books / Best Mystery Books of All Time / Best Psychological Thriller Books / Popular Thriller Books
The Woman in the Window: A Novel
Author: A.J. Finn
Year: 2018
Genre: Thriller
More info: New York Time Bestseller
Age Range:16+
Plot
If you love old movies, you will adore this book. It is a spin on Hitchcock’s Rear Window and features an agoraphobic narrator who is often unreliable.
Anna Fox lives alone in her house. She is agoraphobic and cannot leave, so she sits at her window and watches everyone in the neighborhood.
When she sees something across the street, she is sure there has been a crime but, what is real and what is imagined? Amy Adams stars in the Netflix adaptation of this book.
Why Kirsten loves it
I love the nod to Hitchcock. It puts a new spin on a classic!
Why Jackie loves it
I love the fact that I was never sure what was real and what was made up. This is a book with an unreliable narrator that I really liked/
Find this book in: Unreliable Narrator Books / Psychological Thriller Books / Books About Mental Illness / Popular Thriller Books / Amnesia Books
Psychological Thriller Books with Unreliable Narrators
The Wife Between Us
Author:Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
Year: 2018
Genre: Thriller
More info: Instant New York Times Bestseller
Spice Rating:đź’‹
Age Range: 18+
Plot
Everything that you think you know in this book is just an assumption. You can assume that you are wrong. I cannot say much about this book because I do not want to spoil anything but, it is such a perfect domestic thriller.
Warning: do not start it if you don’t have time to finish it. Nellie is so excited about her upcoming wedding that is just days away. She cannot shake the feeling that someone is following her. At first glance, this is a thriller about a jealous ex-wife and the woman who is replacing her.
Why Kirsten loves it
This is a psychological thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat and question what you think you know! I love that the plot seemed clear and yet I could not shake the feeling I was missing something the entire time. I was definitely on the wrong track.
Why Jackie loves it
The plot seems pretty straightforward when you start reading the book but then there are hints that things are not exactly what they seem to be. I did not understand the full story until the end of this thrilling book and loved every minute.
Find this book in: Unreliable Narrator Books / Popular Thriller Books/ Best Psychological Thriller Books / The 20 Best Books of 2018
The Woman in Cabin 10
Author: Ruth Ware
Year: 2016
Genre: Mystery Thriller
More info: New York Times Bestseller
Spice Rating:đź’‹
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Shortly after being burglarized, a travel journalist boards a small luxury cruise liner to cover its inaugural voyage. When she thinks she sees a passenger thrown overboard – but everyone is still accounted for – she has to decide if what she saw was real or only in her head.
Why Kirsten loves it
This book wasn’t as creepy as some of Ware’s others, but it still kept me on the edge of my seat. You just might want to wait until you are off a boat to read this one! If you love thriller novels, this book is a must-read.
Adaptation Information
Netflix is adapting this book into a movie starring Kiera Knightley. Guy Pearce, Hannah Waddingham, Art Malik, Gitte Witt, David Ajala and more have recently been cast as well. Release date is TBD
Find this book in: Sailing Novels / Isolation Books / Psychological Thriller Books / Unreliable Narrator Books / Books Becoming Movies / Mystery and Thriller Novels About Writers / Popular Thriller Books
The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes
January 2023 Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick
As books with unreliable narrators go, this is the best I have ever read. Maya was days away from moving away to college when he best friend Aubrey mysteriously dropped dead in front of her. She blamed Frank, an older guy who she had been hanging out with that summer although there was nothing to prove that he had done a thing to harm Aubrey.
Now, years later, Maya is trying to overcome an addiction to the drug prescribed to help her overcome the loss of Aubrey. When she sees a video of a woman who drops dead in a cafe and Frank is sitting with her, she sets off in a spiral again and needs to prove that Frank is responsible. I love this book with a totally likable and yet, completely unreliable narrator. This is one of the best thrillers of 2023 pick for sure.
If you have not read this pick from ultimate beach reads 2023, run, don’t walk, to get it! It needs to be top of the list of your books for fall.
Plot
Megan Goldin is quickly becoming a go-to thriller writer for me. In her latest, a murder witness has amnesia and can’t remember anything once she falls asleep.
Now, Liv’s wanted for murder and she must work as hard as she can to prove her innocence before the real murderer catches up with her… if only she could remember who the murderer is!
Trigger Warnings
Stalking
Why Kirsten loves it
This reminded me of Memento in all the best ways. It got a little repetitive at certain times because as the narrator, we needed to rediscover information alongside Liv.
Find this book in: Amnesia Books / Books with Unreliable Narrators
Classic Books with Unreliable Narrators
Rebecca
Author: Daphne Du Maurier
Year: 1938
Genre: Thriller
More info: National Book Award Winner, 1938
Anthony Award Winner, 2000
Age Range: 14+
Plot
The OG psychological thriller book, Rebecca is a book set in Cornwall that will leave you checking behind you when you walk down a dark hallway.
The new Mrs. de Winter is haunted by her husband’s first wife, Rebecca. The deceit will have you second-guessing everything you read while you yell at the pages. It is a chilling novel about a naive second wife discovering the truth behind the wife who came before her.
The Netflix book adaptation stars Lily James and it reignited this popular thriller book’s success. If you have not read this book, it is a perfect book for fall.
Why Kirsten loves it
One of the most acclaimed psychological thriller authors, Daphne Du Maurier is at her best in this chilling psychological thriller. Everything about this gothic thriller will make you feel a little bit uncomfortable. I love Du Maurier and I have read this classic more than once.
Why Jackie loves it
I was at least 50 pages into this book when I called Kirsten and asked if I would ever learn the new Mrs. De Winter’s name. The fact that the main character remains nameless throughout the book adds to the thrill of the book. It is a classic that everyone should read at least once.
Find this book in: Best Mystery Novels / Popular Thriller Books / Unreliable Narrator Books / Best Classic Books / British Books / Best Psychological Thriller Books
And Then There Were None
Author: Agatha Christie
Year: 1939
Genre: Classic Mystery
Spice Rating:đź’‹
Age Range: 16+
Plot
A mysterious person is trying to right the wrongs of the past by luring unsuspecting criminals to a deserted island…and then murdering them one by one. But who is the killer? Why are they killing? And just how long have they been stalking their prey? You have to figure out whodunit in this unreliable narrator book.
Why Kirsten loves it
This Agatha Christie book is one of the best stories she has EVER written. It was fast-paced, totally engaging and I did not see the ending coming. Each murder was more clever then the one before. Check out the black and white movie based on the book. It’s great!
Why Jackie loves it
A classic for a reason, Agatha Christie broke the mold with this book. It’s one of the most well-plotted mysteries I’ve ever read.
Find this book in: Unreliable Narrator Book / Best Classic Novels / Historical Mystery Books / Agatha Christie Books in Order / Best Mystery Books / Locked Room Mysteries
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Not all books with unreliable narrators are mysteries and thrillers. Sylvia Plath’s semi-autobiographical work shows Esther Greenwood’s mental breakdown. While working as a summer intern in New York City, Esther is sexually assaulted and returns home to recuperate.
With her academic dreams on hold, Esther falls into a deep depression and attempts suicide, eventually sent to a psychiatric hospital to recover. With its deep insights into mental health and gender roles, Plath’s novel is a great classic book to read.
Find this book in Literary Classics / Unreliable Narrator / Books Set in New York
Books With Unreliable Narrators You Can’t Put Down
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
When a boat sinks in the Pacific, the only survivors are a 16-year-old boy named Pi, an orangutan, a hyena, a Bengal tiger, and a zebra. And while this book was written less than 20 years ago, it is already a modern classic.
This is not a sailing novel that once read can be forgotten. I know that some people look at the story as an extended metaphor in which each animal represents a person but personally, I like the book exactly the way it was written, one of the best magical realism books I have read.
There is magic in the pages of this book in all meanings of the word. First, read this book, then, rethink everything. This is a perfect example of a thought-provoking book because no two people view it the same way. If you are looking for animal fiction books, this one is a must.
The Secret Keeper
Author: Kate Morton
Year: 2012
Genre: Historical Fiction
More info: New York Times Bestseller
Spice Rating:đź’‹
Age Range: 16+
Plot
This story revolves around a woman trying to uncover why her mother committed a crime almost 50 years prior. Having witnessed her mother, Dorothy, stab a man, Laurel starts to dig around into Dorothy’s past. Told as a dual narrative, the more we learn about Dorothy’s past, the more questions and secrets arise.
Why Kirsten loves it
I adore Kate Morton. She is one of my absolute favorite authors and The Secret Keeper was Morton at her finest. Her books meld historical fiction, with contemporary fiction and romance with mystery.
Find this book in: Kate Morton Books Ranked / Books with Unreliable Narrators
YA Books With Unreliable Narrators
Plot
A group of four friends spends every summer together on a private island. Money, family, love, and an accident lead to secrets and lies. Featuring complex dynamics between friends and family, this story is both a coming-of-age tale and a mystery all in one.
Trigger Warnings
Fire/Fire injury, Child death
Why Jackie loves it
This book was the perfect suspense which I did not expect. Even though I knew that the narrator was unreliable, I still had no idea where this story was going and I didn’t know it was a Shakespeare retelling of King Lear until years after I read it.
Find this book in: Books with Unreliable Narrators / Coming-of-Age Books for Teens / Best Books for a 13-year-old / Fun Books for Teens / Amnesia Books
One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
On a Monday afternoon, five students walk into detention at Bayview High, but only four walk out alive. Investigators find that Simon, a social outcast and creator of a gossip app detailing all the juicy rumors at Bayview High, was murdered and all eyes are on the other four students: the academic Bronwyn, homecoming queen Addy, athletic Cooper, and bad-boy Nate.
A twisty young adult thriller for fans of Pretty Little Liars, One of Us is Lying is a fun mystery that makes you question which narrators you can believe.
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Code Name Verity immerses you in a world of intrigue with the story of a British spy, Agent “Verity.” Captured when her plane crashes in occupied France, Verity is interrogated by the Gestapo in an attempt to learn of her mission.
As she confesses under torture, you’ll find yourself on the edge of your seat wondering what secrets she is willing to exchange for her life. How far is she willing to go for her mission? A brilliant and emotional read that makes a great book club recommendation.
Sadie by Courtney Summers
Radio personality West McCray stumbles on the story of Mattie, a young girl horribly murdered. He can’t seem to get the tale out of his head and becomes obsessed with finding Mattie’s older sister, Sadie.
Yet, Sadie has disappeared, determined to find Mattie’s killer. With no desire to be found, Sadie only wants one thing – revenge. As chapters alternate between West and Sadie, you begin to suspect that Sadie is a rather unreliable narrator.
Epilogue
Did you find unreliable narrator books you want to read? Which are your favorite?
The Ultimate List of Best Thriller Books
Looking for more of the best books with unreliable narrators? Check out this list.
I’m intrigued by “The Woman in the Window” on your list of books with unreliable narrators. This post is a gem, featuring captivating reads. Excited to dive in!