Lily Samson’s second novel, Watch Me Watch You, has been called “a compelling tale of sex, ambition and deceit” by the Financial Times. Now she’s sharing her favourite creepy noir novels.
The Cry of the Owl by Patricia Highsmith
I rate this even more highly than her brilliant Talented Mr Ripley novels. It explores a twisted relationship between a stalker and a woman, where the tables turn and she begins to chase him.
The Bird’s Nest by Shirley Jackson
A classic about a woman suffering from multiple personality disorder, who receives treatment from a psychiatrist. He hypnotises her and helps her work through her fractured selves to discover the violent crime that caused her sense of self to shatter.
Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
A wonderfully creepy page-turner about a woman who gets a job apartment-sitting in an exclusive building, only to find her predecessor vanished in mysterious circumstances, as have numerous others living there.
Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak
Mallory, a nanny to four-year-old Teddy, becomes disturbed when he starts drawing pictures of Ana, an ‘imaginary friend’ who was murdered. These pictures become part of the story, suggesting that a supernatural force is steering his crayons, guiding us to a horrifying truth.
The Woman on the Ledge by Ruth Mancini
A taut, claustrophobic psychological thriller that begins with an intriguing premise: a woman falls to her death from the 25th floor of a tower block. Is it murder? An accident? Or something even more strange and sinister?
