Person
Every book Sarah Lyall recommended on podcasts
Sarah Lyall is a frequent voice on The Book Review podcast, where she often evaluates suspenseful thrillers, gripping historical mysteries, and exceptional works of fiction. Known for her appreciation of intricate plotting and speculative premises, Lyall frequently directs listeners toward books that challenge perceptions of reality. She recommended Jack Finney's classic novel Time and Again, praising its inventive time travel narrative and its vivid setting in old New York. Lyall also expressed deep admiration for the novels of Kate Atkinson, highlighting Life After Life as one of her all-time favorite books and enthusiastically plugging Case Histories for readers exploring the author's broader project. In the realm of psychological suspense, she praised Barbara Vine's A Dark-Adapted Eye and The House of Stairs, identifying them among the creepiest and best thrillers she has ever read. For summer reading choices, Lyall discussed Patrick Radden Keefe's book Say Nothing, which investigates an unsolved mystery from Northern Ireland during the Troubles. Finally, she selected Lauren Collins's memoir When in French as a non-fiction work she planned to revisit. Through these varied recommendations, Lyall showcases a refined taste for atmospheric thrillers, immersive historical narratives, and compelling personal memoirs.
Books recommended by Sarah Lyall
-
Life After Life
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson is a celebrated novel that follows protagonist Ursula Todd as she repeatedly dies and is reborn across different eras of the twentieth century, most notably the Second World War.
Recommended“and she's written some beautiful novels, especially Life After Life, which is one of my favorite books of all time.”
Where to get it
-
Presumed Innocent
Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow is widely regarded as a classic legal thriller that explores the intense fallout within a prosecutor's office after a prominent attorney is accused of murdering his colleague.
Discussed“well I think it's really old timey Thriller but my sort of ear Thrillers would be Presumed Innocent you know the scotch hero thing which I read all night long when it came out”
Where to get it
-
Rebecca
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is a classic psychological thriller that follows a young second wife as she moves into a moody coastal estate, only to find herself haunted by the lingering memory and oppressive shadow of her husband's deceased first wife.
Discussed“So other things were like Rebecca, amazing thriller, The Turn of the Screw, and you know, you read those not knowing what genre they are, but oh my god, there are thrillers.”
Where to get it
-
The Secret History
The Secret History by Donna Tartt is a gripping psychological thriller that follows a tightly knit group of classics students at an elite Vermont college who become morally corrupted after committing murder.
Discussed“and it reminded me a lot of the secret history where if I'm also getting this right one of the characters comes in out of a crazy experience with someone else's blood in her hair and no one ever figures out whose blood it is”
Where to get it
-
The Turn of the Screw
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James is a seminal Gothic novella that has terrified and fascinated readers for generations with its chilling ambiguity surrounding ghosts, psychological torment, and unreliable narration.
Discussed“So other things were like Rebecca, amazing thriller, The Turn of the Screw, and you know, you read those not knowing what genre they are, but oh my god, there are thrillers.”
Where to get it
-
Time and Again
Time and Again by Jack Finney is an imaginative and immersive time travel thriller that transports readers back into the rich historical atmosphere of old New York.
Recommended“I love a time travel thriller because how it plays with reality and what you can change and and so I would always point people back to The Great Time and Again by Jack Finney, which has the benefit also of being set in old New York.”
Where to get it
-
A dark-adapted eye
A dark-adapted eye is a psychological thriller novel written by Barbara Vine, who is the alter ego of British author Ruth Rendell.
Recommended“and then Barbara Vine who is the the alter ego of Ruth renle the British author who's done this incredible psychological thrillers uh a dark adapted eye House of stairs they're among the creepiest things I've ever read those are my probably absolute favorites”
Where to get it
-
Case Histories
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson is a compelling contemporary detective novel featuring private investigator Jackson Brodie.
Discussed“and the same actually with the adaptation of the Kate Atkinson book that's on our list case uh histories which is such a fantastic book and Jason Issacs, who's a great actor, plays the main detective in that, who's wonderful, but it just couldn't do justice.”
Where to get it
-
Going Zero
Going Zero by Anthony McCarten is a high-stakes techno-thriller that plunges ordinary citizens into a terrifying manhunt orchestrated by the world's most powerful tech surveillance company.
Recommended“so a recent book I would recommend is a delightful book called going Zero by Anthony mcarton”
Where to get it
-
Say Nothing
Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe is a gripping work of true crime and investigative journalism that explores a murder and memory during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Recommended“well I'm going to start with someone I'm only slightly acquainted with who's Patrick Ren Keefe who if you've all read his amazing piece in the New Yorker a couple years ago about the IRA and a unsolved mystery from Northern Ireland at the time of the troubles and he's produced a book called say nothing”
Where to get it
-
The House of Stairs
The House of Stairs by Ruth Rendell, writing under her pseudonym Barbara Vine, is a dark and complex psychological thriller centered on secrets, past traumas, and a sprawling London home shared by eccentric lodgers.
Recommended“and then Barbara Vine who is the the alter ego of Ruth renle the British author who's done this incredible psychological thrillers uh a dark adapted eye House of stairs they're among the creepiest things I've ever read those are my probably absolute favorites”
Where to get it
-
What Lies in the Woods
What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall is a gripping thriller that follows three childhood friends who must confront the dark secrets of their past after the man they put away for a horrific crime is released.
Recommended“the next one is called what lies in the woods it's by Kate Alice Marshall”
Where to get it
-
When in French
When in French by Lauren Collins is a memoir exploring cross-cultural romance, language barriers, and adaptation as an American journalist navigates life and love in Paris.
Recommended“and then since it's going to be a little bit non-fiction for me this summer because I feel I've been too sloppy with Escapist fiction in the last few months I'm going to reread my friend Lauren Collins's book when in French”
Where to get it
-
A god in ruins
A god in ruins by Kate Atkinson is a companion novel and sequel to Life After Life, following the life of Teddy Todd during and after the London World War II Blitz era.
Discussed“in the 2010s two of her other novels Life After Life and its sequel a God in Ruins won the Costa Award for best novel of the year in Britain”
Where to get it
-
Behind the scenes at the museum
Discussed“her debut novel behind the scenes at the Museum won the wit breeds book of the Year award in 1996”
Where to get it
-
Brooklyn
Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín is a celebrated novel about a young Irish immigrant navigating homesickness, romantic choices, and a dual identity in 1950s New York and her native village.
Discussed“Long Island is the sequel to Brooklyn published in 2009”
Where to get it
-
Death at the Sign of the Rook
Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson is a captivating mystery novel that marks the return of the author's beloved private eye, Jackson Brody.
Discussed“it's called Death at the sign of Rook”
Where to get it
-
Murder On The Orient Express
Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express is a classic locked-room mystery featuring the iconic detective Hercule Poirot investigating a murder aboard a snowbound luxury train.
Discussed“so if you look at a book like I'm trying to think of a murder classic murder mystery where many people had a motive to kill the the victim let's say murder on the ordan express you learn after the murder how many people wanted the victim dead”
Where to get it
-
My Murder
Discussed“I want to jump ahead to one that sounded particularly interesting which is called my murder”
Where to get it
-
My sister, the serial killer
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite is a darkly comedic thriller that explores complex sibling dynamics against the backdrop of unusual crimes.
Discussed“I was surprised and delighted to see My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oen Ken Braithweight. It came in so high. It came in so high. I think it's at number six, right?”
Where to get it
-
Sharp Objects
Sharp Objects is a dark thriller by Gillian Flynn that follows a troubled reporter returning to her hometown to cover the murders of two young girls while confronting her own deeply dysfunctional family and traumatic past.
Discussed“so for people who like that kind of thing like if you like Jillian Flynn's sharp objects I was just going to mention that one”
Where to get it
-
Started Early, Took My Dog
Discussed“and of course one of the titles of your one of your Jackson Brody books comes from a poem of hers I long time I wanted to write a novel had an Emily diggson first line line as the title for no good reason part of him to amuse myself and that's the reason in that book that Jackson gets”
Where to get it
-
The Firm
The Firm by John Grisham is a gripping legal thriller that follows a young, ambitious lawyer who discovers his prestigious new law firm is a front for the mafia.
Discussed“I remember maybe 13 or so picking up an early John Gisham. Might have been around the time that the movie version of The Firm came out.”
Where to get it
-
The Hunter
The Hunter is a contemporary mystery novel by Tana French that is set in the same fictional Irish town as her previous book, The Searcher.
Discussed“back here with Tana French to talk about her new novel The Hunter T you did something quite bold after your first six novels”
Where to get it
-
The Pelican Brief
Discussed“So, you know, the firm I think at the time it probably was the firm went back to a time to kill then it had to the client and then I picked up several other oh pelican brief. I really love that book.”
Where to get it
-
The Quiet Tenant
Discussed“so there's one that's been getting a lot of early Buzz called The Quiet tenant by clol michelon”
Where to get it
-
The Turn of the Key
Critiqued“so I read recently a thriller Ruth wear's turn of the key which I really didn't love”
Where to get it
Books Sarah Lyall wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| Let’s Talk About the 50 Best Thrillers of the 21st Century | The Book Review | 2026-08-05 | 10 |
| Kate Atkinson on the Return of Jackson Brodie | The Book Review | 2024-09-06 | 9 |
| The Paradoxes of Nuclear War | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 5 |
| Talking to Tana French About Her New Series | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 3 |
| Thrillers for Summer | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 2 |
| Colm Toibin on His Sequel to 'Brooklyn' | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 1 |
| Summer Book Preview and 9 Thrillers to Read | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 8 |
Other mentions (11: passing, ad reads, own books)
“So, you know, the firm I think at the time it probably was the firm went back to a time to kill then it had to the client and then I picked up several other oh pelican brief.”
“So, you know, the firm I think at the time it probably was the firm went back to a time to kill then it had to the client and then I picked up several other oh pelican brief.”
“because I know from my own reading I think I have never yet C over the death of ginger in Black Beauty”
“he teaches literature among other things at Columbia University and he's here to talk about his new book Long Island”
“and she's out of college now and she asked me to read to her from Charlotte's Web”
“and I remember the war between the Tates or the other side of midnight”
“and I remember the war between the Tates or the other side of midnight”
“she wrote the little friend”
“and she wrote The Goldfinch”
“it's better than Gone Girl”
“it sounded a little bit like The Lovely Bones remember that book”