A reality TV dating show gone wrong, and two more new thrillers

The Plot Thickens

Well, hi there, sleuths! Can you believe it’s already time for another edition of The Plot Thickens? As the weather warms, I’ve been moving away from the cozy mysteries I lean toward in the winter to thrillers that tilt a little more to the darker side. Long days mean less time to be afraid of things that go bump in the night, right? 

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I’m kicking things off with K.T. Nguyen’s razor-sharp debut, “You Know What You Did” (Dutton, $28). Here, complications from untreated mental illness drive the unreliable narrator trope for a swirly, tangled hair-raiser.

After first-generation Vietnamese immigrant Annie “Anh Le” Shaw’s mother dies unexpectedly — the two had a fraught but close relationship — the loss impacts Annie more than she is initially aware of, and her seemingly perfect life begins to fall apart. First is the emergence of Annie’s long-forgotten obsessive-compulsive disorder, the details of which are depicted in such a way that only someone who has experienced Shaw’s specific type of OCD can portray. 

“Through Annie, I describe some of my lived experience with disgust-driven, contamination-based OCD,” Nguyen wrote in an online author’s note. “The imagery is raw and vivid — and very necessary to realistically portray how this chronic disorder can affect people’s everyday lives, how it can make you feel like a prisoner in your own body.”

Then, when a well-known art patron suddenly disappears, all signs point toward Annie, who can’t prove she’s not at fault because she isn’t entirely sure — with blackouts and visions, she can’t trust her own mind. As sinister as it is emotional, “You Know What You Did” explores mother-daughter relationships and generational trauma with taut, captivating prose and a touch of horror.

On a lighter note (well, sort of), is a juicy new release from suspense queen Ruth Ware. A deserted island after a destructive storm sets the stage for “One Perfect Couple,” (Gallery/Scout Press, $29.99), where five couples travel to compete in a reality TV show.

Things between Lyla and her boyfriend Nico could be a lot better, to say the least. So the pair decide to try something out of their wheelhouse, a televised romantic getaway/competition on an Indonesian island. On the first night after arrival, however, a storm blows through, taking with it almost everything except a small supply of food and water.

“‘Love Island’ becomes ‘Survivor,’ and one person in particular is set on being the last person standing,” reads a Kirkus review. “Ware offers another take on the locked-room mystery, but this time, her focus is less on creating a creepy atmosphere of dread, as she did in earlier novels, than on showing the absolute brutality of which some humans are capable.”

When navigating the tricky dating world terrain, there are a few things we hope to discover: connection, happiness, and, most of all, love. Death is certainly not on that list. Unfortunately for Gwen Turner, the protagonist in L.M. Chilton’s “Swiped,” (Gallery/Scout Press, $27.99), her dating escapades turn deadly when a series of murders in her small English town all have one thing in common — the men died briefly after going on a date with her.

Gwen begins digging into the case in an attempt to clear her name while also reconnecting with the few still-alive failed dating app matchups to warn them of the potential danger. What ensues is a hilarious, mischievous string of grim sexcapades and a thoughtful look at modern online dating. Come for the unique, enticing, low-stakes mystery; stay for the can’t-look-away questionable choices of a 20-something who has no idea what she’s doing. 

There are a few other reads I’ve cracked into that I’m excited to share my thoughts on soon, including the already released “A Better World” from the author of “Good Neighbors,” Sarah Langan — think “Midsommar” meets “The Stepford Wives” — and Sara Koffi’s “While We Were Burning,” which has been described as “Parasite” meets “Such a Fun Age.”