It’s safe to say that now I’m totally hooked on Lucinda Berry, so here are more books of hers that I’ve read:

Keep Your Friends Close by Lucinda Berry
This was a murder mystery sort of thriller between rich mom’s in California and I was zoned in until the very last page. I definitely wish I could change one tiny thing about the ending and give one of the characters some justice instead of a sad closing, but overall I loved everything else about this book. I absolutely trust Lucinda Berry with all my future fucked up, thriller needs in novels. Can’t wait to read more of hers!

The Best Of Friends
This was a great follow-up read after Keep Your Friends Close because it was written in the same style of switching from character to character between chapters, but gave a new story and a new mystery to solve. The story was a great home-town sort of horror story of when life looks perfect and really starts to fall apart, and it’s captivating until the very last page. I don’t want to give too much away plot-wise, but her thrillers are definitely top-tier.

One In Four
I feel like most of Lucinda’s books take place in the suburbs, which can be typical of thrillers – not that I mind. But this one takes place in LA, with a therapist who is treating a bunch of child stars with addiction issues and one of them winds up dead. The story really takes a bunch of twists and turns, which often left me confused but wanting all the details so much more. I only wish that there was a little bit more closure at the end, but the story unraveled in a way that was really interesting and also very very distrubing.

The Perfect Child
I spent most of this book being mad, frustrated, or downright irate. I wouldn’t say that this story is for the faint of heart, but it is a good thriller that borderlines horror. This child is anything but perfect, and the father having the halo effect with her was so wildly annoying. It’s not one that I’d be recommending to everyone, but it is a good story so I’m glad I took the time to read it.

Bonus: A Welcome Reunion
As a follow up to The Perfect Child, Lucinda wrote a short story that is an epilogue to Janie’s journey and some insight into her future. It definitely brought some much needed closure to the story.

If You Tell A Lie
This was a great summer read – if you like reading fucked up thrillers of course – because it takes place partially at a summer camp. It takes a second for the book to really take off or get past the vagueness of the first several chapters but it’s so easy to fly through once you get into the meat of things. The story unfolds through four friends who were best friends in childhood and reconnecting as adults under sinister circumstances, and you find out some bad things they did as teenagers. A bit of a spoiler here, but I kinda like that the ending favors the “bad guy”? It was unpredictable that way, and I finished it in less than 24 hours.

When She Returned by Lucinda Berry
WOW. This was my first time reading Lucinda Berry but I would absolutely go back and read more. This is about a woman who goes missing, only to come back 11 years later having spend the decade in a cult. I was pulled into this plot right away, and the speed only picks up the more you read. I loved all the insight on the cult experience that the woman had, but would have loved even more details because I was hanging onto everything she was giving. There may have been a few things that I could sorta see coming after a certain time, but I definitely would recommend this to anyone who loves fast-paced thrillers. 10/10, this was crazy good. (Cult Fiction List)

Appetite for Innocence
This is by far the most fucked up book that I’ve read by Lucinda Berry, and THAT is really saying something because her stories are so crazy. This one really takes the cake though – and needs to have huge trigger warnings which again, is no surprise for Lucinda Berry books. The story is told by two girls who were kidnapped and are being held captive by a man who specifically took them because of their virginity. It’s super dark, but well written, and I was so thankful for the way that the story wrapped up. Not for the faint of heart, though!

Saving Noah by Lucinda Berry
This was quite the fucked up conundrum. I feel like this book would be great for a discussion kind of club, because it’s easy to have a lack of answers for this “what would you do” scenario. Basically, the story is mostly from a mother’s perspective whose son was convicted of SA’ing minors. He is remorseful and regretful, but knows that he is a pedo deep down, and as a result becomes suicidal. The mom doesn’t know what to do – force him to live a life of seclusion, shame and depression, or let him die? Like I said – pretty fucked up, but was a super quick and short read with a good twist at the end that I didn’t see coming.

One Of Our Own
I don’t typically do audiobooks, but since I was on a cross-country road trip, I decided to give this one a try and I’m glad that I did. In true Lucinda Berry fashion, this story was fucked up and complex, while only a tiny bit predictable I feel. It certainly transferred well as an audiobook, especially with two voices for the main characters whose main form of communication was phone calls. There are others of Lucinda’s that I liked more, but this one was still great.

One Little Mistake
This was an audible original that I listened to on a road trip. I definitely liked it and thought it was captivating, but it was just a tiny bit predictable. Honestly, that is unusual for Lucinda Berry, but also these short-length audio books aren’t her typical style so I still found the story intriguing none the less.

Big thanks to Lucinda Berry and thank you for reading! (Last Updated: Aug 2024)