The best Lisa Jewell books, ranked

Jewell’s smash hit from 2018 is widely considered her best work (so far). Fifteen-year-old Ellie disappears suddenly, and her mother Laurel is left to pick up the pieces. A decade later, Laurel meets a man whose daughter looks just like Ellie — and decides to take the cold case into her own hands. The twisty, fast-paced plot will keep you enthralled until the stunning end.

A duology starter (see “The Family Remains” later in this list), “The Family Upstairs” is a perpetual favorite among Jewell fans. In this unsettling page-turner, Libby doesn’t know she’s adopted until she inherits a London mansion with a bloody past. Turns out Libby was found in the home as a baby, along with three dead bodies (including her parents) and a mysterious note. What really happened within those walls?

When 19-year-old Tallulah and her boyfriend disappear after a party at a Surrey estate, Tallulah’s mother is left reeling (and caring for their baby). A year later, a writer discovers a clue that could finally reveal the truth about that night. “The Night She Disappeared,” told in dual timelines and from multiple perspectives, is a winding mystery that highlights the unbreakable bond between mothers and daughters.

The residents of Melville Heights all have secrets. Joey just moved in and is rethinking her recent marriage. Tom is a respected local headmaster (though he may or may not be involved with a student) and his son Freddie loves to spy on the neighbors. And then there’s Frances, who’s certain Tom was involved in something sinister years previously. Oh, and did we mention the novel starts with a dead body? Buckle up for this ride, because twisty is an understatement.

On the coast of England, a woman takes in a man who can’t remember who he is or where he came from. Meanwhile in London, a newlywed learns her husband has told many lies, but only after he disappears. Decades before, a teenager on holiday is certain his sister’s new love interest has something to hide. Past and present are going to collide, but you won’t see the truth coming.

Jewell’s “Invisible Girl” is a slow-burning page-turner with a surprisingly uplifting conclusion (after plenty of twists and turns, of course). A teenage girl’s disappearance sends dangerous shock waves reverberating through the lives of others, including her former therapist and a disgraced teacher with ties to incel groups.

In Jewell’s sequel to “The Family Upstairs,” characters Libby, Lucy, and Henry return, but their reunion is short-lived when Henry disappears in search of an old childhood friend. Meanwhile, a fresh face unravels another dark (but not altogether unrelated) mystery after her abusive ex-husband is found murdered. Jewell expertly weaves between the stories as she slowly reveals the truth, gripping readers’ attention all the while.

An idyllic setting becomes a crime scene not once, but twice. Clare and her two preteen daughters move to a new neighborhood with a stunning garden and a welcoming community. But then, young Grace is attacked, and Clare learns another teenager mysteriously died in the garden years before. No neighbor escapes suspicion in this propulsive mystery with complex character dynamics.

Many people don’t realize that Jewell explored several different genres — like this family drama — before shifting her focus to tense thrillers. In this novel, tragedy destroys the once-happy and highly eccentric Bird family, and each member drifts apart in grief. Years later, the children must return to the family home, now ravaged by their mother’s years of hoarding. Within piles of junk they’ll slowly reconnect with who they once were. This family’s authentically flawed characters compel you to keep turning the page — and to embrace your own family quirks.

Adrian Wolfe’s family seems perfect, albeit nontraditional: He’s got three wives (two exes) and five children. But when his current wife, Maya, is struck and killed by a bus, his carefully laid life begins to crumble around him. Flashbacks slowly reveal that Adrian is an unreliable narrator and that someone specifically wanted Maya out of the picture — permanently. Kirkus lauds this domestic thriller as a “rich examination of the modern family.”

“The Truth About Melody Browne” is another example of Jewell’s foray into dramas, though it certainly has elements of mystery. A house fire nearly killed young Melody and left her with no memories of her early childhood. As an adult, Melody begins to piece together her past, including her tumultuous relationship with her parents.

Betty dedicates her young adulthood to caring for her grandmother, Arlette. When Arlette passes away and leaves the bulk of her estate to a stranger with a London address, Betty jumps at the chance to track down the beneficiary — and start a new life for herself. “Before I Met You” moves between 1919 and 1995 in London’s SoHo, delivering two stories of women emerging into adulthood. A mixture of romance, nostalgia, and mystery makes this novel memorable.

While Jewell’s latest releases are comparable to thriller novels by Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley, her earlier dramas are reminiscent of works by JoJo Moyes and Jodi Picoult. In “The Making of Us,” three strangers’ lives are irrevocably changed when they discover they have the same biological father, who wants to meet them before he dies.

In the follow-up to “Ralph’s Party” — published over a decade after the first novel — Ralph is now a successful artist who’s settled down with a family. But after years of raising children and living in domesticity, Ralph’s marriage has lost its spark. “After the Party” is an authentic exploration of long-term relationships and the hard work it takes to keep love alive.