11 Riveting Books to Read Next if You Loved The Plot

We start with a surefire hit. If you devoured The Plot, read The Sequel. Korelitz delivers everything that you loved about the first installment and more in her captivating follow-up. The new novel picks up right where the original left off, with Anna Williams-Bonner, wife of bestselling novelist Jacob Finch Bonner. With all those nasty accusations of plagiarism dealt with once and for all, Anna’s ready for her turn in the literary spotlight — and she’s got just the story to tell. Soon after she publishes her debut novel, however, Anna begins receiving excerpts from a narrative that no one should have, and it means someone knows far more than they should. How far is she willing to go to keep her secrets safe and have her story told? A devilish satire of writing, fame, and unbridled ambition, The Sequel is an enthralling return to the dark world of The Plot that readers are sure to enjoy.

Bestselling author Alex Michaelides’ third novel, The Fury, is packed with plot twists, complex characters, and winking nods to the thriller genre that fans of The Plot will eat up. A former movie star invites her closest and most glamorous friends to holiday with her on her private Greek island. At first, the getaway is a dream come true, but tensions rise within the group when fierce weather hits the island and traps everyone inside. Before the night is through, someone ends up dead, and now everyone is a suspect. An Agatha Christie–esque whodunit for the modern era, The Fury’s serpentine narrative and delicious atmosphere are enhanced by unreliable narrator Elliot Chase, who may or may not be telling you the truth. After all, since he was on the island, that makes him a suspect — and who’s to say his story can be trusted?

When Bodie returns as a teacher to the boarding school she attended in her teens, the childhood traumas she’s strived to forget become impossible to ignore. Back in 1995, her roommate was murdered, and the school’s athletic trainer was convicted. But now, Bodie’s not so sure the case adds up. Can she trust her memories of her time at Granby? Or did she know something that could have changed the outcome of the trial? I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai is a “spellbinding” (New York Times Book Review) podcast thriller with a smartly twisting plot and a compellingly complex lead. Like Korelitz’s The Plot, it will have you questioning motives and searching for the truth until the last page is turned. 

If you loved The Plot’s wicked satire of the literary world, you’re sure to enjoy The Other Black Girl, Zakiya Dalila Harris’s bestselling workplace thriller set in the shadow of the New York City publishing scene. Nella has been the only Black woman at Wagner Books for too long, so she’s thrilled when Hazel is hired and moves into the cubicle next to her. But as Hazel moves up in the office ranks, Nella gets left behind, and then the notes start showing up: LEAVE WAGNER. NOW. Could Hazel really be leaving these notes to stir up animosity between them? Or is something far bigger and more sinister at play? 

A classic tale of secrets, double identities, and ingenious schemes, The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith should be on every Plot fan’s reading list. After the wealthy Mr. Greenleaf meets Tom Ripley, he hires Tom to retrieve his philandering socialite son, Dickie, from Italy. Tom is happy to take the job (and Mr. Greenleaf’s money), but he soon finds himself taken by Dickie’s debonaire lifestyle. As Tom’s intrigue spirals into obsession and his ambition grows, he begins to spin a widening web of self-invention and deceit — but who’s going to end up getting caught?

If you couldn’t get enough of The Plot’s swirling secrets and double-faced characters, How Can I Help You by Laura Sims is sure to hit the spot. In this psychological thriller, Margo, a middle-aged librarian with a dark secret, gets tangled up with Patricia, a young wannabe novelist and new library hire who notices too much. Margo isn’t what she seems to be on the surface. She’s got a long list of premature deaths attached to her previous career as a nurse, so she’d really prefer that Patricia stop digging around in her past. But as Patricia’s obsession grows, their cat-and-mouse game ramps up. Kirkus Reviews recommends Sims’ bookish thriller, noting that “watching these two women peer at each other as they terrorize the bookshelves is great fun.”

Soon after her arrival at Oxford, Hannah becomes fast friends with campus It girl April. And it isn’t long before the pair attract a tight group of confidantes in Hugh, Will, Ryan, and Emily. By the end of the year, though, April is dead. Murdered. Ten years later, Hannah’s relieved to hear that John Neville, the man convicted of the slaying, has died behind bars. But that relief shatters when a journalist turns up with new evidence and probing questions. Was Neville wrongly convicted? Did Hannah ever really know her friends? They all have something to hide, and their secrets could be deadly. With ratcheting suspense and red herrings galore, The It Girl is a dark, propulsive read. Fans of The Plot are sure to fly through this bestselling mystery by Ruth Ware.

With an “unreliable narrator, dark twists, and unending suspense [that] will keep you on edge until the very last page” (NPR), None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell is a perfect pick for fans of The Plot. True crime podcaster Alix Summer is out celebrating her 45th birthday when she meets Josie Fair, who happens to be celebrating the same birthday. After another chance encounter, Josie mentions that she might be a good fit for Alix’s podcast, but the more time Alix spends with her, the more unsettling Josie seems. Josie has secrets, and Alix is beginning to second-guess letting this woman into her home. But then Josie’s gone — and suddenly it’s Alix’s life that’s in the crosshairs of her own true crime podcast.

A Pulitzer Prize winner, Trust by Hernan Diaz is a stunning historical fiction drama that will enthrall readers with its shrewd plotting and clever reveals. Written in four parts — a novel, an unfinished autobiography, a memoir, and a diary — the story is told by a series of narrators, and not all of the tellings align. So how did an American financier and a prodigious young woman amass their fortune on Wall Street in the 1920s? Was there a cost in building their financial empire? Which parts of the story are genuine, and which are falsities prompted by emotions and personal relationships? A layered tale of ambition and the hypnotic power of storytelling, Truth will satisfy The Plot fans’ taste for a good literary puzzle full of untrustworthy narrators.

With secret identities, gripping twists, and propulsive pacing, First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston has all the makings of the perfect next-read if you enjoyed The Plot. Evie Porter appears to have a perfect life, except for one little detail — Evie Porter isn’t real, she’s a con artist. Her mysterious boss gave her a name, a place, and a target, and sent her off to infiltrate the life of a businessman named Ryan Sumner. But the longer Evie’s on the job, the deeper she settles into her falsified life, and now her secrets are at risk of being exposed. An exceptional psychological thriller with a cunning protagonist, First Lie Wins is impossible to put down.

If you couldn’t get enough of all the writerly drama in The Plot — the ego, the envy, the desperation — then this instant New York Times bestseller by Julia Bartz should be at the top of your TBR list. Alex is an aspiring novelist, but things haven’t panned out yet. So when she gets a surprise invite to a writing retreat at the estate of a lauded feminist horror author, she jumps at the chance, despite the fact that her former best friend turned rival is attending as well. When she gets there, though, she learns that the stakes are higher than she thought: Not only is a seven-figure publishing deal on the line for the best storyteller of the bunch, but something nefarious is happening at the retreat, and not everyone is making it out unscathed. Dark, twisty, and full of mind games, The Writing Retreat is an exhilarating tale of determination, desire, and hubris.