5 books that prove revenge is a dish best served cold

Gone Girl

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (source: amazon.in)

“There’s something disturbing about recalling a warm memory and feeling utterly cold.”

On the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne’s wife Amy goes missing. Amy’s friends say she was afraid of him. Nick says she kept secrets. A police search of Nick reveals incriminating evidence, from shady internet searches to strange calls on his phone. Both Nick and Amy offer their versions of events that contradict each other, and we have to guess who’s telling the truth. This is what makes Gone Girl truly memorable- its unreliable narrators. And just when we think we have figured it all out, Gillian Flynn pulls the rug out from under us. It’s impossible to put this book down. It has surprises and mind games that keep us guessing until the final page.

The Collective

The Collective by Alison Gaylin (source: amazon.in)

What if grief could unite strangers and justify the unthinkable? Camille’s daughter is dead. The man responsible walks free. Her grief turned into fury and then into vengeance. Invited into a secret group of mothers who have lost children to injustice, Camille finds herself among women who are done waiting for the system to work. The Collective believes in consequences, delivered ruthlessly and without leaving any trace. As Camille sinks more into this, she starts questioning how far is too far and who’s really pulling the strings. This book is a must-read for anyone who finds satisfaction in justice delivered.

Murder on the Orient Express 

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (source: amazon.in)

A murder on a snowbound train. Twelve suspects. One legendary detective. A tycoon is found stabbed in a locked compartment. Hercule Poirot is thrust into a murder mystery where every passenger is a suspect and every alibi has cracks. As Poirot digs deeper he finds out that someone isn’t just hiding the truth, they’re settling a score. It makes us question whether justice and the law are always the same thing. This book is a masterpiece in revenge. An Agatha Christie classic. It’s chilling and it’s unforgettable. 

Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (source: amazon.in)

“Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living” 

This is the story of a wild love and a betrayal that sparked a lifetime of revenge. Heathcliff was an orphan raised by the Earnshaw family. He forms a close bond with Catherine Earnshaw. His heart gets completely shattered when she marries another man, Edgar Linton. This makes him disappear, only for him to return rich and full of vengeance. Wuthering Heights starts as a simple heartbreak and spirals into a life driven by revenge. Heathcliff manipulates those around him and passes his bitterness on to the next generation. There is love. There is obsession. And there is revenge.

The Count of Monte Cristo

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (source: amazon.in)

Falsely accused of treason, Edmond Dantès is imprisoned without trial in the dreaded Château d’If. His crime? Being in the way and discarded by those he trusted most. During his long confinement, he learns a secret- the location of a vast hidden fortune. When he escapes years later, he reinvents himself as the Count of Monte Cristo and returns for revenge. It’s a long read, but a very satisfying one. For anyone who loves revenge and classics, this book is worth every page.