I know this is a bit of an odd request, but my very favorite endings are the ones that don’t let you in on what’s really going on until the very end. The last pages or chapter, maybe even the very last line.
The past few mystery/thrillers I’ve read, the plot twist seems to happen somewhere around the 50-75% mark and I find myself anxiously awaiting the final reveal, only to realize that was it.
So now I turn to you all. Help me find a book with an ending that will have me sitting there like, “Wait, WHAT?!”
by FantasyNerd94
28 Comments
if you haven’t seen the shadow and bone series on netflix, six of crows duology is kind off like that
Vengeance Is Mine by Mickey Spillane
NK Jemisin’s _Fifth Season_
Janet Frame’s “The Carpathians”. Very weird novel, last page is an admission by a minor character that turns the whole thing upside down. Gorgeous prose too!
The Haunted House From Hell, by Mark L’Estrange
Super Powereds by Drew Hayes. It’s a five book series and you don’t get the big reveal until the end. I had a general sense of what was going on, but every book took the rabbithole deeper and surprised me
All books from Martin suter, look for English translations, they are usually in German but read super smoothly
Maybe try Piranesi
Project Hail Mary. I did not see that ending coming.
For short stories, O. Henry is classic and is known for each story having an unexpected twist at the end. Love his stories! Fun fact: most were written from prison.
atonement by ian mcewan
The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward is perfect for this.
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn.
We were liars by e Lockhart did this for me!
Lucy Foley does this well – start with The Midnight Feast !
The Thief- along with the others in the series by Megan Walen Turner. Really good!
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Multiple twists throughout the book.
What Lies Between Us by John Marrs
The Membranes
It’s a short story, but *A Rose for Emily* comes to mind. 🥴
midwives by chris bohalian. literally last paragraph
Under the Skin by Michel Faber
Spider by Patrick McGrath
American Pastoral by Philip Roth
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel
*The Majesties* by Tiffany Tsao. A complete pile-up of WTF??
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie.
I suppose The Caine Mutiny, by Herman Wouk, might quality. There’s also a phenomenal film adaptation with an iconic performance by Humphrey Bogart. One of the rare ones where the book and movie are both 10/10.