How to Read Alex Lake’s Thrillers
Alex Lake has established a reputation as a master of domestic suspense and psychological drama. While almost all of the author’s books are written as standalone novels that can be read in any order, there is one major exception: the bestselling debut After Anna has a direct sequel, Here One Minute, which was published in 2024. Therefore, the recommended reading path is to start with the Anna Miller books in order, and then dive into the remaining standalone thrillers in whatever order catches your interest.
The Anna Miller Series Reading Order
For years, readers enjoyed Alex Lake's books as purely standalone stories. However, the release of Here One Minute created the author's first official multi-book continuity, following the tragic trials of the Miller family over a ten-year span.
1. After Anna (2015)
Julia Miller's life is shattered when her five-year-old daughter, Anna, is abducted from the school gates. The police investigation yields no results, but then, nine months later, Anna is suddenly returned. She is physically unharmed but has no memory of where she has been. As Julia tries to rebuild her family's life, the media storm and lingering suspicion turn her world into a living nightmare, leading to a shocking truth about who took her daughter.
2. Here One Minute (2024)
Set ten years after the events of the first book, Anna is now a fifteen-year-old teenager. Julia Miller puts her daughter on a short flight, expecting to see her in a few days. But when the plane lands, Anna is missing. Security footage proves she boarded the plane, and there is even footage of someone matching her description leaving the terminal, yet she has vanished. Julia must confront her past trauma and determine if this new disappearance is linked to the kidnapping that derailed their lives a decade earlier.
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
If you prefer to read Lake’s work in the order they were written, this list covers all of the standalone crime thrillers. Each book introduces a completely new set of characters, a unique premise, and a fresh mystery.
1. Killing Kate (2016)
Kate returns to her hometown after a difficult breakup, only to find the community terrorized by a serial killer. As the body count rises, a chilling pattern emerges: all of the victims look exactly like Kate. She is forced to realize that the killer is targeting her, and the culprit might be someone she knows and trusts.
2. Copycat (2017)
Sarah Havenant wakes up one morning to find that someone has created a fake social media profile of her. At first, it seems like a bizarre joke. But soon, the online copycat begins posting details about Sarah's life that only she should know, gradually stealing her identity, alienating her friends, and threatening to take over her life entirely.
3. The Last Lie (2019)
A thriller centered on secrets, betrayal, and the lengths someone will go to protect their reputation. After a sudden tragedy disrupts a seemingly perfect marriage, a web of lies begins to unravel, exposing dark secrets that were meant to stay buried forever.
4. Seven Days (2019)
A mother’s worst nightmare unfolds over the course of a single week. Locked in a race against time, she has exactly seven days to locate her missing son and rescue him from a captor who has planned the perfect revenge. This is widely considered one of Lake’s most suspenseful and fast-paced novels.
5. The Choice (2020)
When a normal family is forced to make an impossible choice, their lives are thrown into chaos. This domestic thriller examines how far ordinary people will go to protect their loved ones when pushed to the absolute limit by an anonymous threat.
6. Ready or Not (2021)
A gripping thriller about a group of friends who share a dark secret from their past. When the past catches up with them, a deadly game of hide-and-seek begins, and they must figure out who is hunting them down before it is too late.
7. Final Call (2023)
Set aboard a commercial flight, this high-altitude thriller follows the passengers and crew when they realize the pilot has decided to hijack his own aircraft for a sinister purpose. With no escape, the flight becomes a claustrophobic battle for survival.
8. You Are Mine (2026)
While walking down the street, Mary Jordan discovers a targeted sign informing her that she is being watched and has become part of someone’s personal collection. Though she tries to dismiss it as a cruel prank, she soon finds herself trapped in a terrifying game of obsession and survival.
What to Know Before You Start
Alex Lake is a pen name used by a British author who was born in the North West of England and currently lives in Maine. By keeping their true identity private, the author maintains an air of mystery that aligns perfectly with the dark, psychological nature of their books. Lake’s writing style is characterized by short, fast-paced chapters, alternating viewpoints, and intense domestic scenarios. Common themes include family secrets, stalkers, identity theft, and missing children, making the books highly appealing to fans of authors like Gillian Flynn, B.A. Paris, and Clare Mackintosh.