Whether it's for a television series or a feature film, mystery and thriller adaptations have that extra edge. While we love a good original, there's no denying that having a crime intricately plotted in a novel first means there's usually a tighter story.
With every clue in the right place and plot holes masterfully avoided, there has been an incredible slate of adaptations in the past few of years. Gone Girl, The Perfect Couple, Slow Horses, A Simple Favor—they're all worth watching again and again.
But what are we supposed to do when we've worn our favorites out?
Here are eight gripping mystery and thriller books we think need adaptations next!
The White House Connection
This Jack Higgins thriller takes place in Manhattan, where a silver-haired assassin works her way through a list of targets. The list consists of members of the Sons of Erin, a secret IRA faction.
Though this assassin has only struck down four targets so far, she's already created a volatile situation. With these murders, she threatens to upend two governments, and in doing so, destroy the Irish peace process.
Former IRA terrorist Sean Dillon now works as a mercenary. Blake Johnson is the head of a covert White House department.
The two of them are recruited to put an end to the assassins' killings before everything falls apart. But with only three names left on the list, they're running out of time.
One Perfect Couple
It seems like Lyla's life has come to a standstill. Her post-doctoral research has hit a wall, and her relationship with aspiring actor Nico isn't exactly sweeping anyone off their feet.
So when Nico gets the opportunity to join the cast of a new reality show, One Perfect Couple, Lyla figures—why not?
The couple is carted off to the tropical paradise of Ever After Island. Here, they're meant to compete against four other couples—Bayer and Angel, Dan and Santana, Joel and Romi, and Conor and Zana—with the winner taking home a hefty sum of money.
However, shortly after they arrive at the remote island, things start to go awry. The first challenge sets everyone on edge, and then, as if to increase the tension, a violent storm sweeps through.
Stranded from the mainland and left without any means of contact with the outside world, the group must work together to survive. But it seems among them hides a cold killer.
Fever Beach
Strap in for this wild satirical caper.
In Florida's Fever Beach, the sun is always hot, the politics are always unhinged, and the people are always volatile.
Dale Figgo is perhaps the only person alive who has been kicked out of the Proud Boys for being too dumb. His latest misstep is picking up a hiker during an errand run one rainy afternoon.
This choice kicks off a chain of events that involves Viva Morales, the bright and resilient newcomer to the area who just wants to start fresh after her divorce. Viva has been renting a room in Figgo's apartment, while working at the Mink Foundation—a philanthropic company that is hiding a much darker purpose.
Sniffing around the pair is Twilly Spree, an overzealous environmentalist with money to burn and a penchant for dramatic revenge.
When bad intentions and dirty money have their worlds colliding, Viva and Twilly unite as unlikely allies. Together, the pair untangle corruption and conspiracy stemming from a plastic surgery addicted billionaire couple and an arrogant congressman.
Behind Closed Doors
Jack is a handsome and wealthy attorney who has never lost a case. Grace is a charming and elegant homemaker who gardens and cooks to perfection, while still leaving time to dote on her disabled younger sister.
The newlyweds appear to be flawless, and while one might want to resent them, their comfortable home and gracious parties make it hard. And while Grace seems like an intriguing mystery, she's difficult to unravel, as she and her husband seem inseparable.
Is it true love, or is there a reason Grace doesn't answer the phone or go out for coffee with friends? How can she cook such extravagant meals and stay so slim, and why doesn't she ever take anything with her when she leaves the house?
Most importantly, why are there high-security metal shutters on all the windows downstairs?
The Silent Patient
Alicia Berenson is a famous painter married to an acclaimed fashion photographer, Gabriel. They live together in a big, beautiful house in one of the best areas of London.
Their lives and their marriage seem perfect. Until Gabriel arrives home late from work one evening and Alicia shoots him in the face five times.
Alicia hasn't spoken a word since, and her silence as turned a private tragedy into a riveting mystery picked apart by the public imagination. While the price of Alicia's art skyrockets, she herself is hidden away in a secure North London forensic unit.
Criminal psychotherapist Theo Faber has been eager to work with Alicia for a long time. His determination to get her to speak and unravel her mystery sends him down a disturbing path—one that makes him reflect on his own motivations for wanting the truth.
The Searcher
Cal Hooper spent 25 years on the Chicago police force, and just went through the ringer in a messy divorce. Now he just wants a peaceful new start in a fixer-upper home in a quiet Irish village.
But Cal's peace is cut short when a local kid pushes him to look into his brother's disappearance. As Cal looks around, he uncovers a darkness he never knew existed in small towns.
Society of Lies: A Novel
It's been a decade since Maya graduated from Princeton, but upon returning for her reunion, she's looking forward to seeing old faces and reliving good memories. And her trip is even more special for the fact that she'll also be attending her little sister Naomi's graduation.
However, Maya's perfect weekend turns into a terrible nightmare when she learns that Naomi has been found dead. The police say it was an accident, but Maya has a feeling there's more to the tragic story.
Maya sets out to piece together what happened leading up to Naomi's death, but must come to terms with how much her sister hid from her. Naomi ignored Maya's warnings and joined the same exclusive social club Maya belonged to, the Sterling Club.
And Maya is guessing Naomi was chosen to join the secret society within the club.
With every clue Maya discovers, she's overcome with the fear that it was Naomi's desire to follow in Maya's footsteps that got her killed. After all, Maya's time a Princeton was never as perfect as she pretended it was.
Naomi isn't the first girl who died at the college. Now every step Maya takes forward in Naomi's case leads her deeper into her own past.
The Kingdom
Brothers Roy and Carl come from a small mountain town. The both of them have dedicated their whole lives to hiding from the darkness of their past.
Roy kept his mouth shut and stayed put, while Carl ran as far away as he could. Roy always thought he'd never see his brother again, but Carl has big plans for back home.
Carl sweeps back into town with an enigmatic new wife on his arm and a business opportunity that appears too good to be true. With his arrival, old tensions simmer back to the surface, and unexplained deaths from the past start to get a second closer look.
Before long, powerful players decide its best to knock the brothers down by exposing the part they played in the town's dark past. But the brothers are survivors, and they've already lived through a lifetime of violence.
But as old secrets get unburied, Roy will have to choose between his own family and a future he never would have believed could be within in his reach.
Featured image: fabian jones/Unsplash
