Gabbie Hanks knows books. She is a former librarian who now works in literacy for the government. Her debut novel, Nasty Little Secrets, is a twisty psychological suspense novel about a crime writer forced to revisit the murder case that made her famous when her younger sister suddenly disappears. As old wounds reopen and disturbing links emerge between the two cases, Rose Dearling discovers that the book she wrote to prove her brother’s innocence may contain the clues needed to uncover a far darker truth.
We asked Hanks to answer our recurring My Reading Life Q&A so readers can get to know the books that shaped her life and influenced her writing.
What was the first book you were obsessed with as a child?
I was a huge reader as kid so there were so many books I loved, but the first one I remember being absolutely obsessed with was The Face on the Milk Carton series by Caroline B. Cooney. I devoured those books. I remember once making my mom take me to a Barnes and Noble thirty minutes out of the way because they didn’t have the second one at our local library and ten-year-old Gabbie thought she would actually die if she didn’t know what happened next. I think these books were incredibly foundational for me as a psychological thriller writer. I was fascinated with the concept of this typical teenage girl who’s living a normal middle-class life and then realizes her entire existence has actually been based around this lie and this awful crime. It was my first exposure to a book where there were secrets and lies that felt incredibly serious and had high stakes. Before that, the only mysteries I had read were Nancy Drew, and while I loved them, these felt so much more grown-up to me. Caroline B. Cooney was able to talk about these horrible crimes in a way I could understand as a child but still felt realistic. That series is why I like mysteries and thrillers so much now as an adult (and probably why I’m obsessed with Dateline to this day.) I spend every day hoping a streaming service will adapt that series. I’m still obsessed with it!
What book helped you through puberty?
Middle School is where I started to read more diversely and realized what my reading tastes actually were. I discovered my favorite genres were mysteries/thrillers, speculative fiction, and romance. (These are still my favorite genres.) I was really into the Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard. I devoured them all and I think those books really taught me what thrillers could be, even in YA. That series is a masterclass on unreliable narrators, unlikable characters, tension, and twists, especially for young readers. I was always gob-smacked by where they took me. I also had a VERY big fandom phase. I was going through puberty when The Hunger Games and Twilight were big, and I loved those books so much. They still hold up.
What book do you wish 16-year-old you had read?
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Hands down, no question. I preach this book like it is my religion. It’s my favorite book of all time and the way Gillian writes speaks to me on a cellular level. It feels like she has somehow rooted around in my brain and put words to thoughts I had no idea how to articulate. I was a little too young for it when it first came out (I think I was fifteen?) and when I read it a few years later when I was twenty, I was listening to the audiobook while shopping at Walmart and I actually had to sit down for a minute when I got to the ‘Cool Girl’ monologue. I had never read anything that I felt that connected to before. It felt like what I imagine taking peyote feels like. And while I would have been young, I think reading fantastic writing like that at sixteen would have made me feel so understood and motivated. Though, I do think that book found me exactly when it was supposed to.
If you were to teach a class on Damn Good Writing, what books would make the syllabus?
This is such a hard question because I used to be a librarian and I have read SO many good books. My actual list would probably have 100 titles on it. But if I were to teach a class on Damn Good Writing, I’d probably use the short-list of books I force everyone I love to read. For mysteries and thrillers, the list would include; Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (actually, anything by Gillian Flynn. Dark Places and Sharp Objects are so good), Blood Sugar by Sascha Rothschild, Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier, the You series by Caroline Kepnes, Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter, Final Girls by Riley Sager, and The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker. Those books are my god-tier thrillers. They master the genre so well that it’s impossible to not like them. When it comes to non-thrillers, I’m a huge fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid and everyone should read her books, especially The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. For romance, there is a reason Emily Henry and Abby Jimenez are as popular as they are. They have mastered the kind of magic in their writing that Nancy Meyers and Nora Ephorn create on screen. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley would also make the list, along with Normal People by Sally Rooney and This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub. I think everyone needs to read those books regardless of what genres you typically read. I also want to highlight one of my favorite books of the last five years, Corinne by Rebecca Morrow. This book is a dual timeline novel about two teenagers who grew up in a fundamentalist church and find their way back to one another as adults. It’s one of the most beautiful, well-written stories I have ever read. It’s published under a penname for another author, and it is my greatest wish to know who they are so that I can tell them how much this story has genuinely moved me. I think about it all the time. It is a masterclass in personal storytelling and everyone should read it.
What books helped guide you while writing your book?
The year I wrote Nasty Little Secrets, was also the year I read some truly incredible thrillers and found some of my favorite authors. I read The Butcher and the Wren by Alaina Urquhart and it completely captivated me. It is hard to keep me on the edge of my seat since I read so many thrillers, but I was biting my nails the entire time. I also read a lot of Alex Finlay and his books were really helpful in showing me that thrillers can have great characters and scenery but also include more scientific and legal elements without making the books boring. I was obsessed with The Night Shift and Every Last Fear. I also I binged Jennifer Hillier’s entire catalogue during that time and it helped me tremendously, because I wanted so badly to write something as good as what she had. She is incredible at creating these stories that are so intricate, well-plotted and interesting. Things We Do in the Dark and Jar of Hearts are some of the best thrillers ever written. She and I also share an agent now so that feels like kismet to me. I also reread both Gone Girl and Dark Places by Gillian Flynn at this time too, and I think those influences helped me make my book even better. I always feel really motivated to write when I am reading books that I love.
What books are on your nightstand now?
I have two piles on my nightstand; the five-star ones I have recently read, and my TBR pile. I just read Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke so that one is sitting there heavily dog-eared. That book was so well-written it makes me insanely shocked and impressed that it is a debut novel. That’s a book that was meant to be written and by someone who was meant to be an author. I also recently loved 200 Monas by Jan Saenz, Murder Bimbo by Rebecca Novack, and The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves. I can’t stop recommending those. I’m currently reading and loving The Anniversary by Alex Finlay. It’s so addictive, and I love reading books about the 90s. Next up in the to-be-read pile are All the Little Houses by May Cobb, Cherry Baby by Rainbow Rowell and Crafting for Sinners by Jenny Kiefer.