Karin Slaughter

“Women who write thrillers are called ‘dark.’ Male writers are called ‘powerful,’ ” says Karin Slaughter, whose novels do justice to her surname. The Georgia writer’s first, 2001’s “Blindsighted,” was deemed the best crime novel of the year, and she’s since gone on to sell 30 million books, published in 32 languages. “Pretty Girls,” out Sept. 29, is a chilling tale of three sisters, one of whom vanished in her teens. Not surprisingly, Slaughter’s work has been compared to that of “Gone Girl” author Gillian Flynn. “When you write as a woman, there’s this feeling there’s going to be a softness,” Slaughter says. “Everyone called ‘Gone Girl’ dark, but a lot of women I know [said], ‘My marriage is like 10 minutes from that.’ ” Here’s what’s in her library. —

Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose

by Flannery O’Connor

In the South, we drink the Bible with our mother’s milk. But [until this], I’d just t read her stories as stories — how she used symbolism and language to pry the scab off the human condition was a revelation. She had a masterful ability to make something entertaining and also give you a new understanding of humanity.

Rebecca

by Daphne du Maurier

Such a haunting story! Again, it’s the use of language, the subtlety. To have it named after Rebecca, someone you never meet — to me, that’s so suspenseful! I think it embodies all the great things about embracing the feminine things in yourself and using it as a way to scare the crap out of people.

Gone to Soldiers

by Marge Piercy

My grandfather was in World War II, but this was the first time I read about women during the war, and the impact it had on them — having the freedom to work, to do something different — and the crushing disappointment when that was taken away from them.

Carol (The Price of Salt)

by Patricia Highsmith

This was just made into a movie with Cate Blanchett [out in November]. It’s about a lesbian relationship, and at that time, the 1950s, there was a rule: If there was a gay couple, someone had to die in the end. Not here. Highsmith wrote this under a pseudonym. I believe she was gay. She lived in France for a while with a woman. That might be one of the reasons she moved from Texas!