HBO's Sharp Objects has captured TV viewers' attention this summer, but all fans know that the limited series will eventually come to an end. That begs the question: which book could be the next Sharp Objects? I've picked 11 contenders that are ready for their television debuts, which you can check out on the list below.
Based on Gillian Flynn's novel of the same name, Sharp Objects centers on Camille, a Chicago journalist whose boss sends her back to her hometown of Wind Gap, Missouri to investigate the murders of two little girls. Camille has not been home as an adult, having fled a broken family after the death of her sister, and she has turned to alcohol and self-harm in order to cope with her demons. Living in Wind Gap gives her the opportunity to finally connect with her teenage half-sister, Amma, and to reconnect with old friends, neighbors, and classmates. Both Flynn's heroine and her hometown have their own dark secrets, which come to light as the missing persons case begins to dredge up events in Camille's past.
If you can't get enough Sharp Objects, or if you just want to be able to predict which page-to-screen adaptation will take its place, I've got 11 books that need to be on your radar and your nightstand.
'Lying In Wait' by Liz Nugent
Topping off more than two decades of marriage, Lydia and Andrew Fitzsimmons murder 22-year-old Annie Doyle on the beach and cover up her death. But their 17-year-old son Laurence has grown suspicious of his parents, and his investigation begins to close in as Annie's concerned sister Karen gets involved.
'Yesterday' by Felicia Yap
Set in a world in which everyone can only remember one or two days into the past, Yesterday centers on Mark and Claire, a couple in a rare mixed marriage. Mark can remember two days into the past, Claire only one. When Mark's mistress turns up dead, he quickly becomes the primary suspect in a murder investigation, but how can anyone find out what really happened when everyone's memories are in question?
'Penance' by Kanae Minato
Made into a limited series in Japan in 2012, Penance begins with the death of Emily, who was lured away from her group of friends by a killer no one can name. Emily's grieving mother blames the four other girls for her daughter's death, and curses them to pay for their friend's murder if they cannot locate her killer. As the statute of limitations begins to run out, each of the four childhood friends begins to recount the events of that fateful day, and each has surprising revelations to make.
'The Dying Game' by Åsa Avdic
Set in a near-future Sweden, The Dying Game centers on Anna Francis, an agent chosen to take part in an elaborate test that will determine the next addition to a team of elite operatives. Her job is to fake her own death and then observe the contestants' reactions, but when they begin to disappear as well, Anna must question everything she has been told.
'The Perfect Mother' by Aimee Molloy
The May Mothers all gave birth in the same month, and they gather every week in Prospect Park to discuss their new lives as mothers. One woman's child is abducted during a July 4 celebration, and the other women rally around the grieving, single mom, but the investigation soon turns on the May Mothers.
'The Risen' by Ron Rash
An alcoholic and less talented than his older brother, Eugene has always been the black sheep of his family. When a skeleton connected to his teenage past turns up after decades of being buried, Eugene begins an investigation to find out who is really to blame for the death.
'The Lost Ones' by Sheena Kamal
Fifteen years after she gave her daughter up for adoption, private investigator Nora Watts receives a phone call about the girl: she's missing, and her parents want Nora's help to find her. The police have labeled her a runaway, a problem child, and will not assist in her retrieval. Nora agrees to help, but participating in the investigation means returning to a past she'd rather forget.
'The Chalk Man' by C.J. Tudor
Thirty years after a mysterious man who left coded messages in chalk led a group of preteen friends to a dead body, one of them receives a stick of chalk in the mail, drawing him back into a mystery he thought was buried deep in his past.
'The Silent Companions' by Laura Purcell
Widowed and pregnant, Elsie has come to her husband's family home, accompanied by Sarah, a dull girl who is the closest thing she has to a friend. The villagers nearby refuse to visit the house, which they claim was involved in witchcraft and cursed, and Sarah's discovery of an old inhabitant's journal appears to support their theory. But more disturbing are the silent companions — wooden cutouts painted to look extremely lifelike — that abound throughout the home and resemble figures from its past.
'Trespassing' by Brandi Reeds
After her fertility treatments fail and her husband goes missing on a business trip, Veronica becomes consumed by paranoia as her three-year-old daughter, accompanied by a new and suspicious imaginary friend, assures her that their husband and father has died.
'A Head Full of Ghosts' by Paul Tremblay
Fifteen years after her family appeared on a docuseries about her sister's exorcism, 23-year-old Merry consents to an interview about what really happened to her family after her older sister Marjorie began exhibiting odd and disturbing symptoms.
