Christina McDonald

Christina McDonald is an author of suspenseful, emotional thrillers. She is also an avid bookworm and a devoted mother and wife.

McDonald was born in Seattle, Washington and now lives in London, England with her husband and two sons, where she enjoys reading, writing, hiking and lifting weights at the gym.

Her new novel is The Night Olivia Fell.

Recently I asked McDonald about what she was reading. Her reply:

Intricate, spellbinding, addictive, I was looking for a book that was twisty and unpredictable, so when I was offered a copy of Alice Feeney’s new novel I Know Who You Are, I knew I had to read it.

The book follows actress Aimee Sinclair, whose husband has suddenly disappeared. At first she isn’t too afraid—they had a big fight the night before—but as the chapters progress and we learn more about that fight (and other events) we begin to trust Aimee less and less.

Alternating with Aimee’s story is that of a little girl who was kidnapped years before. Alice Feeney is the queen of unreliable narrators and her books really define the ‘psychological thriller’ genre. They’re so cerebral that you really don’t know which way the book is going to turn, and I love the constant surprises that jump out from every corner.

Prior to that I read Heather Gudenkauf’s upcoming novel Before She Was Found, which was so amazing. This book is about three pre-teen girls who sneak out to the train tracks during a sleepover. One of them ends up almost dead. But who did it? And why? This is your classic who-dunnit (my favorite type of book!), and all along I really couldn’t figure out who or why. I could never tell who was telling the truth and who was lying.

I found the book so relevant now in the age of Slenderman and social media. The things teenagers—children, really—go through to feel good about themselves is heartbreaking. The themes were really impactful and it was a book I couldn’t get out of my head for days afterwards.

Coming up next is The Wife, by Alafair Burke, who is a completely new author to me, and I can’t wait!

Visit Christina McDonald's website.

The Page 69 Test: The Night Olivia Fell.

--Marshal Zeringue