These days, thrillers are the hottest reads around. They’ve taken the market by storm and keep readers engrossed from start to finish. But what do readers enjoy most about these kinds of stories? What keeps them riveted? Join me as I explore what it is we love about these page-turners.
1. The twists and turns within the plot. These keep readers turning the pages, especially when there are secrets to be unraveled and bad guys to be tracked down. The excitement of the chase keeps our adrenalin racing while we immerse ourselves in the world of the characters from the safe confines of our homes.
2. Being inside the head of the perpetrator or the hero who’s taken the job of bringing him/her to heel. Trying to figure out what motivates a devious person to do the things they do. Most of us prefer to stay on the straight and narrow, but it’s quite interesting being on the other side and looking inside a terrible mind.
3. Admit it, some of us are fascinated with murder and mayhem. We get a second-hand high from reading about bad things happening to good people, knowing that the hero will make things right and that all will be well with the world. Having things right side up leaves us with a deep sense of satisfaction and justice served.
4. Traveling to different locales as armchair adventurers. I like being taken outside of my culture and seeing the world between the pages of a book, and I suspect you do as well. Through books, I’ve traveled to more countries than I’ve been privileged to visit and learned much about the culture of folks I’ll never meet.
5. The learning experience. My viewpoint has been expanded by many bits of information I’ve picked up by reading books, particularly those that specialize in fields such as forensics and medicine.
6. Figuring out the who-dun-it. Half the thrill is trying to figure out who did what and why they did it. It gives a sense of accomplishment when you’re able to follow the clues and have them make sense. I know that’s my experience.
7. We live vicariously through the plethora of emotions we experience while reading a thriller—anxiety, anger, despair, fear, confusion, satisfaction. We immerse ourselves between the pages and go for a ride that sometimes leaves us drained but buzzed for having been on a roller-coaster ride of feelings.
Now that we’ve discussed the various reasons we enjoy books that grip us by the shirt and refuse to let go until the end, let me tell you about Flames of Wrath, a psychological thriller that will be published on November 28.
The need to right a wrong against an innocent victim triggers a hailstorm of revenge.
In less than twenty-four hours—before Alexia Leighton is scheduled to return to Miami from spring break in Jamaica—a group of friends betray her in a grisly assault that stops a heartbeat away from murder. The seventeen-year-old prays for the mercy of death. She survives.
While on the road to recovery, Alexia’s attackers become victims of mysterious acts of violence, leaving authorities confounded and racing against time to prevent another deadly attack. Concern looms, as the perpetrator has proven to be two steps ahead of them at every turn.
When the attention swings to Alexia’s mother, a cyber-security expert, the family closes ranks. Geneva Leighton must quickly eliminate herself as a suspect, but not without handing down more punishment.
The offenders fear for their own safety and the secrets that plague them. Can they trust the police to find the killer before someone else dies, or has their fate been sealed—leaving them with no place to run, and no place to hide . . .
Buy links: https://books2read.com/u/baqj88
National Bestselling Author, J.L. Campbell writes in a range of genres. Campbell, who hails from Jamaica, has penned forty books. She is a certified editor, and book coach. When she’s not writing, Campbell adds to her extensive collection of photos detailing Jamaica’s flora and fauna. Visit her on the web at amazon.com/author/jlcampbell or www.joylcampbell.com
